The New Game Consoles – First Impressions by a Non Gamer
Yesterday I was browsing my usual sources when I noticed that several game consoles
Reading through the technical specifications one can gather that both the
PlayStation 4 and Xbox One
Both have Blu-ray players so they can play DVDs and Blu-ray discs and both have access to music and film services online via an Ethernet port or 802.11 b/g/n wireless network connectivity.
Cloud services are a big selling point with both consoles and both of these devices are powered by 8-core x86 processors with 8GB of RAM so they should be able to handle everything. But I haven’t been able to confirm an ability to use Skype on the PlayStation 4
.
I don’t know if they are expecting to implement it in response to the requests by PS3 users. But they did install it on the Vita so a Skype app may make it’s way onto the PlayStation 4
like it has on Xbox One
I haven’t explored the full functionality of Skype on my home entertainment system. But I would want to have access to it so I’m going to look into this a little more.
In regards to Youtube and Facebook, both devices appear to have apps to handle those social networks so I would probably use either to browse both sites. And both devices will probably have CinemaNow and Netflix apps, in case I want to use those online film rental services.
The ability to stream music and video from home computers and network drives is also made available on both devices.
A DLNA compatible network drive should be accessible on the PlayStation 4 whilst media on Windows PCs should be accessible on the Xbox One
allows the use of used games, allowing me to dabble in gaming as well.
The PlayStation 4’s lower sticker price at $399 makes it more attractive than the $499 Xbox One
I currently have a Blu-ray player and Smart TV with most of the apps and capabilities that I want but either game consoles would probably fulfill my needs if I were to decide to upgrade. And I have no particular preference for either when it comes to games because most of the games I play are on my Windows based PC.
Had the Xbox One
PONO No Go?
In September 2012 Neil Young had introduced a prototype of his new PONO audio player during an interview on Late Night With David Letterman. And as an audiophile I have been awaiting updates on this new technology since.
This higher resolution audio technology promises to bring 24 bit or 32 bit recordings to consumers when most have only been exposed to the 16 bit recordings of CD or lower when it comes to mp3s. But some question whether it will sell because of the lack of sales in SACD
Personally I would love to have the depth of vinyl on a digital format. But even I would probably buy only a select amount of albums in this new format so I don’t know if it would get beyond niche market status. And though the PONO is portable I would probably only use it at home with higher end, noise cancelling headphones because I can’t stand headphones than sound like tin cans and strip the bass out of music or ear buds that don’t stay in and allow so much noise in that you need to raise the volume.
An interesting article on the possible pros and cons of this technology can be found at Evolver.Fm. But the article also concedes that little is known about the specific selling points of PONO other than it promises to bring high resolution recordings to consumers. The technology is still being worked on according to mypono.com and though most of the major labels have shown interest in PONO nobody knows if it will rely on a cloud service or not.
If this technology is deemed viable it will probably take some time to get it up and working so all we can do is speculate.
Various FAQ Added
I’ve just added a general frequently asked questions page, in which I address questions I had previously been asked. It will of course expand over the next few days, as I start remembering some more emails.
Hope it helps you.
DVD Trade In / Gift Card Offers
Best Buy Canada has matched Future Shop’s Trade-In offers with their own selections.
The conditions and discounts are pretty much the same as Future Shop’s. The offer expires on August 15th, 2013 and the discount is valued at $5, $10 or $15, depending on what you are trading in the DVD for :
$5 off select Blu-Rays. $10 off select 3D Combo Packs. $15 off select TV Blu-ray sets.
BTW, Future Shop is also offering a 20% discount on iTunes $50 gift cards this weekend at participating stores.
That’s $40 for a $50 card. But that offer ends on July 28th, 2013.
Future Shop Trade and Upgrade Offer
You can once again trade in your used DVDs for a credit towards the purchase of select Blu-Rays at Futureshop stores until August 15th, 2013.
On select Blu-rays you will get $5 off. On select 3D Blu-ray Combos you will get $10 off. And on select TV Series Blu-rays you will get $15 off.
Trade-ins are accepted at the customer service desk, where you will receive a receipt coupon per individual DVD and DVD box set. And after you’ve redeemed these coupons you with receive an additional coupon for CinemaNow, enabling you to save $5 on select titles on that web site.
More Memorabilia
Amazon.ca
Their selection is limited compared to their American Store