How Often Will We See 8 Gig Console Games?

    How Often Will We See 8 Gig Console Games?

Well… we’re moving into the 4th quarter of the year and since most games have disappeared until 2015 at least games I was anticipating  it got me reflecting once  again on the possibilities of next gen gaming  overall; I’m still waiting for the “jump” a new generation generally provides and on the topic of consoles how will it take advantage of the new power, history says it won’t… at least not often.

Think about it, how many times do you hear a game developer say they’ve maxed out a console? (which is the metaphor I use for 8 gigs by the way) Not many, and when they do  it’s usually at the end of a console’s life cycle. When it came to last gen and maybe even the gen before yeah you could chalk it up to good marketing you could even blame it on the “alien hardware” on the PS2 and PS3′s side, making it hard to develop for as the reasons for not seeing this as the rule but rather the exception but for Us as gamers to pay 500-600 dollars for a console  with those boasted specs that’s some key promises that went unfulfilled.

Now is the past the predictor of the future? Possibly, but for all the talk about these new consoles not being a obstacle and a “thorn in the flesh”  to these developers and the overall development cycle — rather aiding it, one could be optimistic that it should produce a much more consistent “maxed out” experience. Also couple that with the fact developers are always talking about how their imagination is to big for hardware limitations it should undoubtedly manifest.

I remember gamers across the world being  so excited about the fact  new  consoles were set to  8 gigabytes of RAM — including the developers shooooo it could even be argued that they were more excited. Especially coming behind the rumors and predictions that it would ship with 4 gigabytes of RAM, that’s fine and dandy but how often will we truly see a 8 gig game?

In other words  (and again) I’m talking maxing out the console’s boasted specs in a giving generation. I also remember when Blu- ray was the talk of the town and how it’s technology would  make for bigger, better, longer games which might have been true but how often did we see it? Maybe about 1 percent? And that may be being generous.  The Kojima’s, The Naughty Dog”s, The Santa Monica’s of the world probably the only one’s on record to reach this feat, everybody else not so much, especially on multi-platform games. And I’m just talking about maxing out the Blu-ray disc, what happened to  1080p/60 frames per second gaming, that we were promised last generation? (Dare I say 720p wasn’t even standard last gen). Mind you we’re still struggling to get to that standard (1080p) this generation as it is still “breaking news” whenever it is achieved.

It’s almost like we have to disregard the specs spewed out every gen because it will always fall short, waaaay short of  being the standard. Why even make a system — or not make a system that can deliver these promises?  So one genius developer could have their breakthrough moment!?

Gamers 'hear screams and explosions' after long sessions

Gamers 'hear screams and explosions' after long sessions

One survey respondent heard a voice whispering ‘death’ for days

     Some participants said that the experiences were "scary", "annoying", "maddening" and "disconcerting"

Gamers who play for hours on end risk hearing “maddening” screams, explosions and music in their heads, according to a new study.

Respondents heard sound effects, music and characters’ voices during daily routines after particularly long sessions.

The study, compiled from responses by 1,244 forum users, explored the concept of “game transfer phenomena” – experiences where players’ perceptions, cognitions and behaviours are influenced by images seen while gaming.

12pc of the respondents told scientists at Nottingham Trent University’s International Gaming Research Unit that they had had auditory experiences after gaming.

Vehicles, lasers, bullets and beeping were among the most common sounds heard, often without triggers.

One gamer heard a voice whispering ‘death’ repeatedly for days, while the words ‘go, go, go’ repeated in the head of another when he encountered crowds on a subway platform.

Some participants said that the experiences were "scary", "annoying", "maddening" and "disconcerting". Hearing the sounds also caused sleep deprivation for some gamers.

"These experiences can sometimes result in illogical thoughts and behaviours,” said Angelica Ortiz De Gortari, a psychology researcher in Nottingham Trent University’s School of Social Sciences.

“It's important to help gamers understand their experiences since re-experiencing sounds and voices may provoke distress, especially when associated with dangerous situations in the game."

In previous studies, the researchers found that gamers who played for a long time experienced hallucinations or carried out impulsive behaviours. Some said that they had seen "coloured images" and "heads up displays" while driving on the motorway.

How to Start and Maintain a Successful YouTube Career

There are many possible ways to gain video views, subscribers, friends, and maybe, if you're lucky and talented enough––the fame. Consider some of the suggestions outlined here, to see which ones apply to your situation.

Method 1 of 5: Forming your initial account

1

Make an account. Simply go to http://www.youtube.com and click the "create account" tab.

2

Choose a name people will remember. When choosing a Username you want it to be catchy, easy to read, and have the Username somehow relate to your personality or a main category that you plan on discussing on YouTube. After brainstorming for a while, carefully choose a Username.

Method 2 of 5: Making successful videos

1

Make your first video. Choose a subject to talk about, particularly a subject that you know well or have a strong opinion about. You may want your first video to be an introduction to your channel and give people a taste of what you have to offer them.

• For example: Tell your viewers about future topics, dates on which your next videos will come out, and the bottom line is make them want more of you.

2

Plan ahead with plenty of buffer space. Future dates and ideas means having a plan in place at least several months ahead. Draw one up and follow it fairly closely, with a bit of flexibility to meet viewers' requests, etc. Keep buffer space for the times when you're going to be too busy, too budget-crunched or even unwell or dealing with personal issues to be making a video.

• Quality over quantity is often the best aim.

3

Come up with a variety of ideas. If you cannot think of something to talk about or do, watch other videos and gather ideas. After watching some videos you may be inspired to make a video response or even a spoof of their original video.

• Don't copy other people's ideas. Parody is usually okay, as it is a common form of artistic expression that is not considered copying. But pretending another person's video script is also yours, for example, is copying.

4 Create videos that have some relevance to recent news. Make video responses to well known or popular videos.

5

Focus on the cute. Kittens, puppies, babies, laughing babies, children doing hilarious things, smiling, hugging, etc. are the sorts of things human beings are suckers for. Somehow, there is always room for more! Find the sorts of things your viewers like by way of cuteness, and keep delivering.

6

Keep it simple. Once you've cottoned onto an idea that works for you, don't embellish it or deviate from it too much. People like a certain style and brand when they start subscribing and will expect more of the same style as you add more. Of course, this doesn't mean you can't grow and change for the better; it just means don't leap from punk one week to preppy the next. (Unless, of course, that really is your channel's idea!)

7 Use good filming techniques. Natural light is the best lighting you can use when filming for YouTube. Successful YouTubers use studio type lights or white lights, which also give you good lighting. But natural lighting is the best.

1. Backgrounds are also good to have. You don't want a dark and dingy background or a background that blends in with you outfit, you can buy or make backgrounds. To purchase a cheap background, go on eBay or other selling sites to find a great background.

Method 3 of 5: General ideas to increase your channel's success

1

Film with a good quality camera. Webcams are out. The video and audio quality are not very good on webcams, so try to invest in a good video camera. It doesn't have to be a $500 camera, it could cost $20 as long as the quality for audio and visuals are good your video will be good too.

• Many digital cameras now have excellent video capacity.
• Look for used options on auction sites if you haven't a lot of money to spare.

2

Record with a high quality screen recorder. This only applies if your video involves you recording your screen. HD video's are the norm nowadays, so make sure it can record at 720p or above.

• It is best to invest in one rather than download a free one as they often have a "Free Trial" or "Demo" watermark across the screen on export.
• If your screen recorder does not have options to record audio as well then you need to invest in a good quality microphone - or another screen recorder. One many YouTubers use is the "Blue Snowball" or "Blue Yeti", but any cheap, high quality microphone will do the job.

3

Choose good tags. Choosing tags is a pretty important step to the video upload process, choosing popular tags will make it harder for people to find your video. Choosing unique but accurate tags should bring you more views.

• Use concise titles, descriptions and tags. YouTube sorts videos out based on the title of the video, the description and then the tags, in that order.
• Place tags in your description as well as it is more likely that you will get views on your YouTube video.
• For example: If you were uploading a video about what you thought of Lil Wayne's music career, you wouldn't just put "Lil Wayne" because there would be too many results to sort through. But if you were to put Lil Wayne, Cash Money, Music, Career, and History, you would probably end up with a lot more views; not because there are more tags than just Lil Wayne but because it really narrows the search results down.

4

Try to get lots of subscribers. Having subscribers is one of the most important things to have while on Youtube. When someone subscribes to a channel, they become your fan; this can be very rewarding to some people.

• To gain subscribers: On every YouTube channel there is a box, called a description box. Many people take this space for granted but anytime someone views your channel they will see what you write there, so you may want to give clues about future videos or tell a little about yourself, if you write some good convincing material this can be a great way to gain subscribers.
• To keep subscribers: The best way to keep subscribers is to always keep your word. For example, if you say your video will be out on Friday, you make sure you have a video posted by Friday (see the "planning" discussion above). Another way to keep subscribers is to have a steady pace of videos, like one per week, two per week, or whatever it may be; just keep it reliable.

5

Don't spam. People will find you, there is no need to spam. The only thing spamming will do for your YouTube career is ruin your credibility and reputation.

Method 4 of 5: Doing reviews

1

If you want to do reviews on your channel, keep up with the latest version or item that interests you. Don't get too off-topic; this risks becoming it boring and viewers will click out. Keep your video simple.

• If you want to discuss a longer topic, choose wisely and only talk about the topic. Again try to keep it simple and short.
• If you really want to go for a long topic, make them into smaller parts and serve them as different videos, such as "Part 1, Part 2" etc. That will make the viewers that enjoyed the first one go for the second one.
• If you are planning to make parted videos, make a video that act as a hub for viewers, such as having a short video which links to the different parts.

2

Add your own personal touch, don't use the same thing as other YouTubers.

3

Keep your review as non-biased as possible. Have a descriptive opinion on it.

• Try to compare it to other similar products.
• Talk about the differences and what you like about it and what you don't.

4

Don't get too excessive with the bad opinions. It may offend some people, so keep it descriptive and stick to the facts.

Method 5 of 5: Have a tough hide

1

Gain some confidence. YouTube can be a great place but can also be a very demoralizing and nasty place when the haters get involved. No matter what you do, no matter what you look like, there are people out there who will say negative things to try and make their lackluster little lives more interesting as they hide behind the shield of not being seen. The best thing to do when receiving a nasty comment is to delete their comment, block the commenter and never respond to them. You don't want to give them the satisfaction for being an idiot. Keep your head held high and don't let anybody bring you down.

• Decide whether you'll even leave a video open to commenting. It's not always the right thing to give people air space to trivialize or downgrade your hard work.
• Don't take any of the snarly, self-centered comments personally. Some people really get enthused about being creepy and picky online. Don't give them the time of day. Civility is the byword.
• Whenever anyone starts up on the "freedom of speech" spiel, gently remind them that they're already exercising it. It's become a standard bore to read this baseless whine in nasty criticism.

The Virtualizer lets you run and jump in virtual reality games!

The Virtualizer lets you run and jump in virtual reality games!

The Cyberith Virtualizer is a gaming rig that lets you walk, run and jump through virtual reality environments. It's part harness, part baby bouncer and part omni-directional treadmill.

The Virtualizer is designed to help players feel physically present in a non-physical world. It can be used with virtual reality headsets such as Oculus VR and it seems to be a response to Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe's comments about how immersive the VR headset is: "We'll need some seatbelts for people. You want to stand up, you want to walk around."

The Virtualizer is not dissimilar to Virtuix's Omni, an omni-directional treadmill that Wired.co.uk wrote about last year, but it has a lot more features. It has a low friction flat base-plate (on which you walk) in the centre of a frame with three vertical poles. These poles each have arms attached to them, which extend towards a central ring that fits around the player's waist. The central ring features a fabric harness -- much like one you'd use for something like abseiling -- that the player is strapped into. The end result is a little bit like an adult-sized baby walker.

When the player jumps within the Virtualizer, the movement is replicated with precision within the game. "Achieving this is vital for a truly immersive experience because obviously you will break immersion if the positioning of your body in-game and in real-life are different," explains the project's Kickstarter page. Vibration units -- which use audio transducers rather than rumble packs -- in the base plate provide haptic feedback for if, say, a grenade explodes next to you in-game. This allows the player to feel it. Optical sensors detect the movement of your feet on the baseplate while sensors inside the pillars and ring-construction detect your vertical position and angle.

Beyond gaming, Cyberith believes that there could be applications for psychological therapy, education, training and architecture. "Why not explore historic sites, walk through a DNA strand or go for a walk on the Moon with the Virtualizer? Or why not take a walk through your future home before it's even built or design 3D models while you're standing inside of them?"

You can pre-order the Virtualizer from Kickstarter from $599. For that you get one without any of the built-in sensors. The pre-order price rises to $999 for the Virtualizer HT, which is the all-singing version with haptic feedback.

Computer games can 'make your brain younger', study finds

For years many have believed that sitting glued to a screen playing computer games rots your brain.

     Playing games could actually sharpen your mind, the study found.

But a new study has found that video games can delay the ageing process and playing one for just ten hours can make your mind up to seven years younger.

Older people who play video games which challenged their mental processing speed slowed their cognitive decline. Instead, a year later, their minds were actually sharper, the researchers found.

But the team warn that the benefits only come with their specifically designed game “Road Tour”.

Scientists at the University of Iowa in the United States discovered that elderly people who played just 10 hours of a game delayed declines by as many as seven years in a range of cognitive skills.

Those that played the game at least 10 hours, either at home or in a laboratory, gained on average three years of cognitive improvement when tested after one year, according to a formula developed by the researchers.

A group that got four additional hours of training improved their cognitive abilities by an average of four years. In speed and attention tests their brains were up to seven years younger, it was found.

Lead author Fredric Wolinsky, professor in the University's College of Public Health, said: "We not only prevented the decline; we actually sped them up."

He attributed the benefits to the range of skills required in the game, adding: "We know that we can stop this decline and actually restore cognitive processing speed to people.

"So, if we know that, shouldn't we be helping people? It's fairly easy, and older folks can go get the training game and play it."

The study comes amidst a burst of research examining why, as we age, our minds gradually lose "executive function," generally considered mission control for critical mental activities, such as memory, attention, perception and problem solving.

Studies show loss of executive function occurs as people reach middle age; other studies say our cognitive decline begins as soon as the age of 28.

Either way, our mental capacities do diminish and medical and public health experts are keen to understand why in an effort to stem the inexorable tide as much as possible.

Professor Wolinsky and his colleagues separated 681 generally healthy medical patients into four groups, then further separated them into those 50 to 64 years of age and those over age 65.

One group was given computerised crossword puzzles, while three other groups were exposed to the game Road Tour.

The game involves identifying a type of vehicle and then re-identifying the vehicle type and matching it with a road sign displayed from a circular array of possibilities, all but one of them false icons.

The player must succeed at least three out of every four tries to advance to the next level, which speeds up the vehicle identification and adds more distractions, up to 47 in all.

The goal is to increase the user's mental speed and agility at identifying the vehicle symbol and picking out the road sign from distractors.

Professor Wolinsky said: "The game starts off with an assessment to determine your current speed of processing. Whatever it is, the training can help you get about 70 per cent faster."

The researchers found those who played Road Tour also scored far better than the crossword puzzle group on tests involving executive function.

The game has previously been credited with improving quality of life, easing depression and cutting medical bills.

The findings were published in the journal PLOS One.

However, some were sceptical about the research. Dr Doug Brown, director of research at the Alzheimer’s society, told the Daily Mail: “Many of us enjoy puzzling over a game.

“However, there is currently little evidence that brain training has any cognitive benefits.”