Random Gaming Thoughts (Read OP Before Posting)

[Kenny]

I totally didn't realize the PS4 already came out and the XBOX One is coming in a few days.

Huh.

[Calshot]

Steam keys for whoever wants them.

Gotham Impostors DLC (free-to-play on Steam)
https://www.humblebundle.com/gift?key=4527DAMx36wyD47Y

Arkham Origins Skins
https://www.humblebundle.com/gift?key=HvhFeRZRfdMzSbcD

Lord of the Rings Online (also free-to-play) Steely Dawn Starter Pack
https://www.humblebundle.com/gift?key=CVZYc5sxKyrAxAYf

Guardians of Middle Earth
https://www.humblebundle.com/gift?key=2eZucSEaesSkCYhN

Guardians of Earth Smaug's Treasure DLC
https://www.humblebundle.com/gift?key=dpazEARmUcGM3KMt

[Kenny]

phpBB [video]

[lavrentis]

2K sports should make FIFA games.

[Axm]

2k is too 'merica for your soccers.
2k should make/be allowed to make NFL games again. And EA should be allowed to make MLB again.

[Yama]

Soooooooooooo, the few of my friends who have PS4's that aren't being serviced tell me both BF4 and KZSF have no game chat. Wait, what? No, seriously. You have to invite people to a party to speak to them, not even kidding here. The kicker? Game support up to 12 on a team and party chat only supports 8. So, a good chunk of the team is assed out plain and simp. I'm sorry, but PSN is poverty. They just don't get it and perhaps never will, at least not completely.

[AnimeGamer183]

ah... *sits back and eats popcorn* People who play online multiplayer problems.

[Yama]

ah... *sits back and eats popcorn* People who play online multiplayer problems.

Congrats, there's a perfect service for you then.

[Axm]

Soooooooooooo, the few of my friends who have PS4's that aren't being serviced tell me both BF4 and KZSF have no game chat. Wait, what? No, seriously. You have to invite people to a party to speak to them, not even kidding here. The kicker? Game support up to 12 on a team and party chat only supports 8. So, a good chunk of the team is assed out plain and simp. I'm sorry, but PSN is poverty. They just don't get it and perhaps never will, at least not completely.

Christ.
PS4 is strait up Beta right now I swear. And apparently so are the games. I dont care if it gets delayed honestly, launch a product and service when its ready and works as advertised.
Honestly PS3 and 360 launch problems combined cant match up to these PS4 issues.
Seems like it's all PR for now until Christmas ends.

To anyone out there interested in getting a PS4.. Wait.
And you all know, thats HUGE coming from me.

No doubt, PS4 will be my primary console of choice sooner rather than later, but this is plain unacceptable some of the stuff me and Yama have seen.

[Henry Spencer]

^Still nothing as bad as RROD defect, so far. The start of every console launch is a bit shitty, tbh, I don't know why people are so quick to get them, there's always problems.

[Axm]

The stats havent hit for it yet so it could very well be as bad a RROD.. but at the momment it's seemingly mostly firmware related that could be fixed.
The reason I got it at launch was because I had the money and too much time on my hands with my upcoming transition to Japan. Nothing excuses launching an unfinished system however.
I remain cautiously optimistic. Ive yet to open it as im waiting for a new patch.

Edit: Confirmation on a new patch incoming on tuesday. Hopefully it solves alot of problems.

[Henry Spencer]

Uhhh. Okay, I'll take that back:

Sony issues PS4 "blinking blue light" advice as customers report DOA consoles.

A number of North American PlayStation 4 owners have reported their consoles dead on arrival.

Following the North American launch of the console on Friday some customers reported their console failed to send a signal to their television. Instead of a white light, which indicates the console has entered the powered on state, they get a blinking blue light.

Videos of the problem have flooded YouTube, and there are now 600 one star reviews on Amazon, with many complaining about the inconvenience of contacting customer support to arrange for a replacement or a refund.

Last week Sony said it was investigating reported issues with PS4, but insisted the number of affected systems represented less than 0.4 per cent of shipped units to date - a number "within our expectations for a new product introduction". Over the weekend Sony announced it had sold over one million PS4 units in 24 hours following the North American launch.

Now, Sony has issued troubleshooting advice to those who have the dreaded "blinking blue light". It lists four possible causes:

TV compatibility
Issues with PS4 power supply
Issues with PS4 hard drive
Issues with other PS4 hardware
So what can you do about it? Sony suggests updating the firmware on your TV, turning the console off and checking the power and HDMI connectors for damage. It also suggests checking the hard drive to make sure it's properly seated in the HDD bay.

If all that fails, you can try booting your PS4 into safe mode. This changes the resolution to 480p and allows you to update the system software, restore default settings and restart the system. You can also rebuild the database and initialise the PS4 (this deletes all user data and restores the PS4 to as if it just came out of the box).

If you want to contact Sony, it's probably best to try Live Chat rather than call on the phone, the company warned.

PS4 launches in the UK on 29th November.

Wait, the PS4 has a "safe mode"? (Oh, like the PS3's, just downgrades the resolution/aspect).

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013- ... a-consoles

It's like Microsoft and Sony swapped places from last generation just for giggles, or something.

[Axm]

Yup, its been like this for a few days now. A majority of the PS4's with genuine hardware issues are coming from Amazon. Luckily I got mine at Best Buy and ive yet to see anyone report any genuine hardware failures who got it from them.
It could be that Amazon got a bad batch and also Amazon has failed to ship it in boxes that protect the unit inside. Rather they are using large boxes 2-3 times the size of the PS4 box, with no padding at all. Couple that with the fact Amazon is notorious for poor handling of packages in their warehouse and it can explain alot for why the PS4 has had issues with HDD seating in the system being unalined, HDMI ports off center, other components being damaged internally.
Also rumors from Chinese message boards that former FoxCon "employee's/students" that were used as unpaid interns to build the PS4 treated the systems badly such as spitting inside them and mucking with components.
One alleged former Foxcon intern joked that the "PS4 will hardly turn on at best".

Ive been on the official playstation forums for a few days monitoring everything going on. If I were to take a wild shot in the dark guess, id say the hardware failure rate for the PS4 could be at around 20-30% while Software malfunctions based on shitty firmware are causing the system to crash/disconnect/fail to be easily 50% depending on if you updated via USB or through the internet.

We'll see how bad it continues after tuesdays FW update.
I'll open it up then and see how my unit does.
Any sign of problems and im just gonna return it to Best Buy and wait until Spring to buy it again.

Saying Sony and FoxConn cut corners to get as many units manufactured and shipped for launch would be an under statement.

[AnimeGamer183]

ah... *sits back and eats popcorn* People who play online multiplayer problems.

Congrats, there's a perfect service for you then.

I just never caught on to the popularity of online multi-player. Hell the only online multiplayer I even play is Magic The Gathering on my PS3. I guess it just goes to show that im really only intersted in single player experiences, outside of the occasional MMO, and even then im picky as hell, didnt like FF14 and part of the reason is I dont really like playing with other people and the little i played of ff14 I never even joined a party once.

To be fair about 10 years ago, I was much more frequent to online multi-player, I played Warcraft 3, Counter Strike, a handful of MMOs and voice chatted on Ventrillo and wreacked havoc with my friends. Back then playing online multiplayer was still trying to gain ground and acceptance and most people didnt like playing online but as more time went on the quality of online multiplayer decreased significantly, and it just so happened that the decrease coincided with increase of popularity in online multiplayer. Now online multiplayer practictly defines gaming these days, its a staple and im honestly disgusted by it now, and its part of the reason I hardly ever game anymore, there is just way too much of a focus on onilne for my tastes. I guess im just old school, stuck in the old ways and mind sets from 10 years ago than online play is occasional at best. I guess it just doesnt stimulate me the same way as a single player experience does, its not as personal when there are a bunch of other people connected. And then now adays there are d-bags constantly running around trying to psyche you out with a bunch of trash talk, like its actually a skill that can help you win a game, and sadly it actually is at this point, the days of winning by simply being good at gameplay are over. I guess thats what bothers me the most, so I rarely dabble into it. I guess I really like playing Magic online because of that, since its such a complex game, even if someone is trying to psyche me out, I keep my poker face and let my cards and strategies do the talking for me, then again there is little to no way to communicate with your opponent and most people dont use mics although i run into the occasional loud mouth, just goes to show the respect level in magic is pretty high, unlike most other games? I guess I wouldnt really know.

[Thief]

I'm not opposed to the concept of online-multiplayer, but the way it's currently presented doesn't work for me. There is too much of a disconnect between opponents; you can't truly experience their reactions and feelings through a match. There's voice chat -- but even that is limited and often horrible considering the random factor in match-ups. I'm perfectly happy to play semi-competivily in my living room with my friends -- or occasionally online with people I already know -- but otherwise online multiplayer feels like an endless loop of the same match against computer bots and it gets tiring and boring... fast.