Video Games

[TheCADJockey]

Skipping the floccing hoverbike level on Battletoads. That sht was the bane of my 7-year-old existence.

Ugh. Thanks for bringing up that repressed memory. Honestly though, one of the hardest parts about that game was surviving longer than five minutes. I always played with my little brother and it was rare that one of us didn't accidentally knock the other off a cliff and just end up fighting each other to the death.

 

[Rhetorik]

For anyone that's been following Virtual Reality/Oculus/Vive... A couple announcements:

1) Oculus Rift available for pre-order. $600 USD + shipping. For a lowly Canadian like myself, that totals up to well over $900. My interest has vanished.

2) HTC/Valve Vive Pre. New motion controllers, forward-facing camera, enhanced reality functionality, etc. http://www.anandtech.com/show/9901/htc-unveils-the-vive-pre-dev-kit
No idea on the price as of yet.

 

[TheCADJockey]

1) Oculus Rift available for pre-order. $600 USD + shipping. For a lowly Canadian like myself, that totals up to well over $900. My interest has vanished.

Eesh. That's tough. I'm sure the price will come down soon enough. I haven't followed it at all so, would there even be anything worthwhile to play/use Rift for? I jumped to get the PS4 the day it was released and there wasn't **** to play for almost a year. My friends all got it much cheaper than I did. I've got a feeling this would be the same way.

 

[hunter_le five]

For anyone that's been following Virtual Reality/Oculus/Vive... A couple announcements:

1) Oculus Rift available for pre-order. $600 USD + shipping. For a lowly Canadian like myself, that totals up to well over $900. My interest has vanished.

2) HTC/Valve Vive Pre. New motion controllers, forward-facing camera, enhanced reality functionality, etc. http://www.anandtech.com/show/9901/htc-unveils-the-vive-pre-dev-kit
No idea on the price as of yet.

Google Cardboard might be very limited, but it's dirt cheap by comparison.

I'll probably skip the first generation of Occulus, but I'm excited to see where this whole thing goes.

 

[iijakii]

I tried my friends demo unit what... 2 years ago? It made all of us a bit nauseous. I'm sure it's been upgraded a lot, hope it turns into something good.

 

[TheCADJockey]

I'll probably skip the first generation of Occulus, but I'm excited to see where this whole thing goes.

I'm just as excited for more videos of people flipping the funk out when they try it, as I am to try it myself. The (Russian?) dude in the mall losing his mind made me nearly piss my pants and forget where I was I laughed so hard.

Following the update trend:

Diablo 3 should be getting patch 2.4 really soon, for those interested. Good on them for keeping the game alive for so long without calling each patch an expansion and charging $40.

 

[Rhetorik]

Eesh. That's tough. I'm sure the price will come down soon enough. I haven't followed it at all so, would there even be anything worthwhile to play/use Rift for? I jumped to get the PS4 the day it was released and there wasn't **** to play for almost a year. My friends all got it much cheaper than I did. I've got a feeling this would be the same way.

There's limited games availability for the Rift right now as well, something that is definitely holding me back. Additionally, IMO the type of game that is suited for VR is very niche - until we have fully-functioning holodecks à la Star Trek where you could roam around freely, VR at this pointin time is limited to games where you can play while in a static position. I'd love to try racing games or something like a first-person Star Fox game though. Something like Portal or CoD though? No way.

Google Cardboard might be very limited, but it's dirt cheap by comparison.

I'll probably skip the first generation of Occulus, but I'm excited to see where this whole thing goes.

I'd need to upgrade my phone to use cardboard haha, whereas my computer can make mincemeat of the Rift in terms of specs! I'm in a similar boat where I'm going to sit and wait to see how the technology and VR market develops. If it doesn't get a solid following (and VR having a large market share seems pretty bleak right now), game developers etc aren't going to spend the capital/resources needed to develop products for it.

I tried my friends demo unit what... 2 years ago? It made all of us a bit nauseous. I'm sure it's been upgraded a lot, hope it turns into something good.

The Vive is apparently the most improved on this front - higher resolution screens, little-to-zero lag, etc all of which reduce the risk of nausea.

 

[iijakii]

2.4 bringing anything major? I liked a lot of the changes ROS brought, but overall the abundance of loot and no trading just killed any longevity the game mightve had for me. All I play these days is TF2... wish there was something exciting out.

 

[Rhetorik]

I'm just as excited for more videos of people flipping the funk out when they try it, as I am to try it myself. The (Russian?) dude in the mall losing his mind made me nearly piss my pants and forget where I was I laughed so hard.

Following the update trend:

Diablo 3 should be getting patch 2.4 really soon, for those interested. Good on them for keeping the game alive for so long without calling each patch an expansion and charging $40.

I keep meaning to jump back in to D3 but keep not having the time haha.

And my main Diablo-playing friend is trying to get me into playing Path of Exile...

 

[TheCADJockey]

2.4 bringing anything major? I liked a lot of the changes ROS brought, but overall the abundance of loot and no trading just killed any longevity the game mightve had for me. All I play these days is TF2... wish there was something exciting out.

No doubt. TF2? I'm watching the patch note video on lunch since I just found out about it. I played the hell out of D3 so I hope there are significant changes. As excited as people seem to be about it, I assume there will be.

 

[TheCADJockey]

And my main Diablo-playing friend is trying to get me into playing Path of Exile...

If my computer didn't melt, my PS4 would be collecting dust because of PoE. I played it for a few months before my motherboard crapped. PoE is hard as hell and feels like old Diablo games. So tired of struggling with keeping a computer working though.

 

[iijakii]

No doubt. TF2? I'm watching the patch note video on lunch since I just found out about it. I played the hell out of D3 so I hope there are significant changes. As excited as people seem to be about it, I assume there will be.

Team Fortress 2, hat simulator.

 

[Rhetorik]

Team Fortress 2, hat simulator.

A game I've spent well over 1500hrs playing... Competitive was a hell of a lot of fun. I loves me the scout.

 

[iijakii]

Scout is the only class I can't play worth a damn. Just never have been able to do it. Think I have an hour on him? Compared to over a thousand on the soldier alone.

Have you played recently? Been digging the phlog buff. It's just too fun and everyone cries about it.

 

[Rhetorik]

Scout is the only class I can't play worth a damn. Just never have been able to do it. Think I have an hour on him? Compared to over a thousand on the soldier alone.

Have you played recently? Been digging the phlog buff. It's just too fun and everyone cries about it.

Not too much recently, but I continue to hop in on a semi-regular basis. My "clan" has a TF2 server (n00bz) that I go to just to mess around and shoot the ****, since I've been playing with most of the older members there for a number of years. I'll hop into the occasional TF2Centre lobby also.

 

[h22lude]

I just played a round of TF2 last night. Last time I played with probably 9 months ago. My buddies and I played that game for hours each day. I can't play scout either. I am awful at it. I usually play heavy or medic.

 

[TheCADJockey]

Brace yourselves...

Noob destroying video game gifs are coming.

 

[TheCADJockey]

Also for those interested:
http://www.diablofans.com/blizz-tracker/topic/61148-are-you-prepared-for-2-4-0

Here is a little teaser of the new D3 patch. Aside from general gear/loot updates, the set dungeons sound really interesting. I might even have to clean up the spare bedroom and see if I can do some surgery on my injured computer. Would be fun to get in on a fresh season race, even knowing I wouldn't have the time to compete seriously.

edit: Actual Patch Notes: (Preliminary)
double-secret edit: Damage numbers are abbreviated might be the best patch of it all lol... 35M instead of 35,000,000 floating around the screen is so much better.

 

[Resonator]

Anyone still play destiny on ps4?
Add me. Psn: acid2800

Just got taken king, and after not playing in months everything I have is worthless. Kinda irritates me after all that time I spent on weapons and everything.

 

[TheCADJockey]

Anyone still play destiny on ps4?
Add me. Psn: acid2800

My friends just talked me into buying all the expansions for it, and now that I have, they are like "cool... now just catch up to us so we can raid". So, yeah.. I'm a bit behind. Got a hunter and warlock to 30 but my gear is not good. I'll add you next time I'm on, we can beat up some nerds or something.

 

[m_c_zero]

Deleted

 

[JawZziff]

the NHL games are always good with buddies and homebrew. especially after a long brew day.

 

[Resonator]

My friends just talked me into buying all the expansions for it, and now that I have, they are like "cool... now just catch up to us so we can raid". So, yeah.. I'm a bit behind. Got a hunter and warlock to 30 but my gear is not good. I'll add you next time I'm on, we can beat up some nerds or something.

For sure. What's your psn name?

 

[Rhetorik]

the NHL games are always good with buddies and homebrew. especially after a long brew day.

I'm tempted to grab a PS4 purely for sports games. For everything else, the PC is better - but for sports games, the console reigns supreme.

Especially NHL 93 - making the players bleed!

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjisfTIys2o[/ame]

 

[JawZziff]

I'm tempted to grab a PS4 purely for sports games. For everything else, the PC is better - but for sports games, the console reigns supreme.

Especially NHL 93 - making the players bleed!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjisfTIys2o

I'm torn. all my buddies have Xbox 1 it seems and I like the idea of connecting with them for an online game. but I'm hearing better reviews for the PS4.

 

[EcuPirate07]

I'm torn. all my buddies have Xbox 1 it seems and I like the idea of connecting with them for an online game. but I'm hearing better reviews for the PS4.

I have the PS4. Love it. I keep it in sleep mode so anytime an update comes out, it automatically downloads it and is ready for me when I log on. So no starting a game and then getting the "there is an update to download before you can play this game". Also you can connect through the app and do stuff. For example I can get on my app at work. Buy a game or an expansion pack and by the time I get home it's ready to play.

I use to be an Xbox fanboy, my brother went from the ps4 to Xbox 1 bc his buddies are on the Xbox. I played it, and honestly like the ps4 better. Anytime you buy a game you have to download the game to the console EVEN THOUGH THE GAME IS ON A DISC. so there is no instant gratification to getting a new game and playing. Plus I think the interface on the Xbox is horrible. And again this is coming from a once Xbox fanboy (started with the original) I have a limited experience with the Xbox one so take it for what it's worth but my limited experience I guess is kinda on purpose.

 

[BrewingTravisty]

I'm torn. all my buddies have Xbox 1 it seems and I like the idea of connecting with them for an online game. but I'm hearing better reviews for the PS4.

The Xbox one is good, though I liked the ps4 better. But if all my friends had an Xbox one I would go for that. The console you'll enjoy the most is the one that you have friends to play with on.

Most of the had reviews on the Xbox one were because of launch bugs and stupid decisions by Microsoft. Most of that is fixed now

 

[TheCADJockey]

For sure. What's your psn name?

ares0226

Finally got around to uploading a couple nice specialist kills last night while I made dinner. The first one happened over the weekend and was much needed. Frenzy kill, predator medal on Safeguard with the Outrider specialist. The Sparrow can be a bit of a struggle for me normally:



Then there was this monster. Frenzy kill, megaton medal on Safeguard with Ruin's gravity spikes. I actually got this one, the day I bought the game. Warning: There is minor vulgarity in this one if you're at work or around sensitive children!

 

[Rhetorik]

I would be getting the PS4 purely because it is a more powerful machine. The xbox one has laughable specs for a "next gen" console... though the ps4 is only marginally better.

Paying for online is also a gyp

 

[Resonator]

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1452176317.966032.jpg
I honestly love PS4, and especially the new controller.

 

[h22lude]

I was thinking about getting the PS4 but I haven't turned my PS3 on to play a game in over a year. I've been enjoying Steam and PC gaming. Right now I have a laptop with i7-4700HQ and GTX840M. I have a parts list put together for a nice gaming PC.

I'm always tweeking it but here is what I have right now http://pcpartpicker.com/p/kjfQpg

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I honestly love PS4, and especially the new controller.

I have been thoroughly pleased with the Xbox One, and the available games but NOT the controller. Chincy, cheap built things. Had an Xbox 360 from day one with two controllers and they are still in perfect condition.

Have 4 controllers for the XB1 and have had to repair 3 of them in less than a year. Broken joystick, broken shoulder buttons, etc...

 

[drainbamage]

I use to be an Xbox fanboy, my brother went from the ps4 to Xbox 1 bc his buddies are on the Xbox. I played it, and honestly like the ps4 better. Anytime you buy a game you have to download the game to the console EVEN THOUGH THE GAME IS ON A DISC. so there is no instant gratification to getting a new game and playing.

This has been my biggest gripe about the XB1. The first couple games I bought (Far Cry 4, Dead Rising 3) took HOURS to install, not even counting the updates. After some later issues, I think we must have gotten one with a faulty disc drive, because after sending it in for maintenance it sped up dramatically.

 

[BrewingTravisty]

This has been my biggest gripe about the XB1. The first couple games I bought (Far Cry 4, Dead Rising 3) took HOURS to install, not even counting the updates. After some later issues, I think we must have gotten one with a faulty disc drive, because after sending it in for maintenance it sped up dramatically.

Yeah... I kind of forgot about the install times. It was terrible if you had to download the whole game without the disc. I spent several days installing a game once.

 

[mredge73]

I was thinking about getting the PS4 but I haven't turned my PS3 on to play a game in over a year. I've been enjoying Steam and PC gaming. Right now I have a laptop with i7-4700HQ and GTX840M. I have a parts list put together for a nice gaming PC.

I'm always tweeking it but here is what I have right now http://pcpartpicker.com/p/kjfQpg

You don't want to spend that much on a I5. If you are going Intel you should go I7; the hyper-threading can potentially double your non-gaming performance. Also, keep in mind that most games are still single threaded as in they lean heavy to one core for the majority of the processing. They may push off a few aspects to other cores but they don't load share very well. This is why a faster 2 core processor will out preform a slower 4 core machine on gaming. So the bottom line is that this new processor will not be much better then my 5 year old AMD processor that sells for under $50.

That motherboard is a beast, very nice but if you aren't over clocking then you can get a $100 board and put the money saved toward more ram. The cooler that you choose will not let you overclock much anyway but should keep it well chilled at factory specs.

I haven't kept up with cases and power supplies, just get one with lots of airflow and is easy to modify. Full-tower tool-less cases are a better investment long term if you plan to stick with it and upgrade parts every 3-5 years.

In retrospect, I wish that I would not have bought a XBONE and spent the money on a new GPU. I play more games on steam and got a steam link for Christmas so can now play console ports in my living room for a fraction of the price.

 

[Rhetorik]

I was thinking about getting the PS4 but I haven't turned my PS3 on to play a game in over a year. I've been enjoying Steam and PC gaming. Right now I have a laptop with i7-4700HQ and GTX840M. I have a parts list put together for a nice gaming PC.

I'm always tweeking it but here is what I have right now http://pcpartpicker.com/p/kjfQpg

Not a bad parts list. I have a couple suggestions for your consideration:

CPU: Get an unlocked (K) version - the 212 EVO is a nice cooler, and you can easily squeeze out more power from a CPU with it. Consider the i5-4590k (this would switch you to an LGA1150 socket, thus requiring a different mobo) which is a great CPU for only $35 more, or if you want to stick with LGA1151, the i5-6600k (though it's $75 more). Getting the unlocked version is well worth it - I have a comparable cooler (Xigmateck SD1483) on my i7-4770k and I've boosted it from 3.5ghz to 4.6

Ram: Go for 16gigs. 8gigs used to be the gold standard, but with games becoming more and more demanding nowadays, 16gigs puts you in a much better spot for future-proofing at a minimal price increment.

If you need to cut price anywhere BTW, start with the mobo. You can get a cheaper mobo that has 99% of the functionality of its more expensive counterparts.

You don't want to spend that much on a I5. If you are going Intel you should go I7; the hyper-threading can potentially double your non-gaming performance. Also, keep in mind that most games are still single threaded as in they lean heavy to one core for the majority of the processing. They may push off a few aspects to other cores but they don't load share very well. This is why a faster 2 core processor will out preform a slower 4 core machine on gaming. So the bottom line is that this new processor will not be much better then my 5 year old AMD processor that sells for under $50.

Speaking as someone that games with an i7... you don't need an i7 for gaming - an i5 will be perfectly workable and will not be the bottleneck in performance for gaming.

 

[mredge73]

You are right, I5 is fine for gaming.
Hyperthreading is not used for most games, most are single threaded.
But I would never pay $200 for a I5; I would take the AMD route over this and save some money to spend on the GPU.

 

[TheCADJockey]

Since my sick clips of noob destruction got swept under the rug... and you guys sound like you know what you're doing. Does anyone know of a decent computer that won't break the bank? I don't want to build one again, it didn't end up being cheaper than buying one. Any companies you'd go with? I'm not talking top of the line gaming computer, just something that can handle a good game without having to turn all the graphics down.

 

[Rhetorik]

Since my sick clips of noob destruction got swept under the rug... and you guys sound like you know what you're doing. Does anyone know of a decent computer that won't break the bank? I don't want to build one again, it didn't end up being cheaper than buying one. Any companies you'd go with? I'm not talking top of the line gaming computer, just something that can handle a good game without having to turn all the graphics down.

You're pretty much always better off building your own.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uom9SsPocCE[/ame]

http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/484112-holiday-buyers-guide-2015/

As for pre-builts... not sure, I haven't really looked at them in a long time.

 

[mredge73]

Since my sick clips of noob destruction got swept under the rug... and you guys sound like you know what you're doing. Does anyone know of a decent computer that won't break the bank? I don't want to build one again, it didn't end up being cheaper than buying one. Any companies you'd go with? I'm not talking top of the line gaming computer, just something that can handle a good game without having to turn all the graphics down.

Honestly I don't have any recommendations here.
Most will cost you much more than building yourself and will be made with inferior components. Cannot remember the last time that I saw a computer in a big box store <$1000 that didn't use on-board graphics.

Brands are hard to recommend when it comes to pre-built machines.
Here is an example; ASUS makes top of the line desktop motherboards and power supplies filled with military grade Japanese components. But their laptops are cheaply made with Chinese components and simply do not hold up. HP and Dell are notorious with putting big processors and GPUs in their high end machines but with cheap motherboards and power supplies that burn out quickly taking the high end components with it.