Why I cancelled my PlayStation 4 preorder (It wasn’t to get an Xbox One)

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        Several days ago, I made a call to Sony’s Online Store. After a 50 minute wait, a pleasant but leisurely customer service rep picked up the line and began her introductory script. Patiently, I waited until she was finished. Then I told her I’d like to cancel my PlayStation 4 pre-order.

Stunned silence. After a few seconds, she said “Really? You’re sure?”

“Yea, I’m sure.”

“Oh. Why do you want to do that, sir?”

Knowing that the real reasons would be hard to explain, I lied and told her that some unexpected expenses had come up. The rest of the conversation took no more than a minute, and I was done; the pre-order I’d excitedly placed several months ago was no more.

In truth, the reason has nothing to do with expenses and everything do with next-gen disappointment. Almost all the news since the initial announcement of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One has been negative; a launch title delayed there, a feature removed here. What looked like a great leap forward has turned into a wary step that barely matches even a mid-range gaming PC. Do next-gen consoles make sense compared to a gaming PC?

Next-gen disappointment

When Sony and Microsoft revealed the PS4 and Xbox One, I was, like many gamers, giddy with anticipation. All of the numbers were going up – way up. Eight cores, eight gigabytes of RAM, tons of storage, all on an x86 platform that should make development easier. There was little to dislike except for the Xbox One’s DRM policies, which Microsoft eventually changed.

Since then, a trickle of new information has sapped my enthusiasm. We’ve learned that the operating system on each console has two cores reserved to it, as well as between two and three gigabytes of RAM. We’ve learned that the impressive 500GB hard drives may be quickly consumed by 30GB+ installs, and we’ve learned that around 10% of the Xbox One’s overall power will be devoted to Kinect .


It turns out that, in practical terms, these eight-core monsters with eight gigabytes of RAM are actually six-core consoles with five to six gigabytes of RAM. Though this is still an improvement over the previous gen, it’s about three-quarters of what was hinted at during each console’s initial unveil.

There are other issues, too. Xbox Live has always required a nominal fee, but now PlayStation will require it for most online games, as well. Important launch titles have been delayed or cut back; Driveclub is now a 2014 game, while Forza 5 has had its car count and track count cut in half when compared to its last-gen predecessor. Backwards compatibility has been thrown out,  so both consoles are cut off from their substantial catalog of last-gen titles.

In the shadow of the PC

The next-gen consoles’ mundane performance is demonstrated by cross-platform games, with Battlefield 4 as the most damning example. Though it looks good on next-gen hardware, it doesn’t quite lock in 60 frames per second consistently despite the fact it runs at 1600×900 resolution on the PlayStation 4 and 720p on the Xbox One. Framerate dips are particularly noticeable in multiplayer where, according to Eurogamer’s Digital Foundry, drops to 50 FPS are common. A  mid-range gaming PC with a video card like the Radeon HD 7870 or GTX 760 can keep up at similar graphical settings (1680×1050 resolution and “high” detail).

Call Of Duty: Ghosts is more forgiving on the PlayStation 4, where it runs at 1080p and seems to produce graphics roughly on par with a PC at maximum detail, but the Xbox One is forced to run at 720p. Need For Speed: Rivals will hit 1080p on both consoles, but only at 30 frames per second. Dead Rising 3 on Xbox One struggles to manage 30 FPS even at 720p resolution, and so on.

The failure of both the PS4 and the Xbox One to outperform a moderately equipped PC at launch is a new development. However, the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 gave computer gamers a real run for their money when they were released. While a high-end rig could play a cross-platform title like Oblivion or Just Cause more smoothly and with more detail, such a computer could easily cost two or three thousand dollars. Today, the Alienware’s X51, which is about the size of an Xbox One, can be had with a fast Intel quad-core and an Nvidia GTX 760 for just $1,099. If you go for a full desktop, and you can have a comparably quick PC for $850.

A console  is still less expensive, of course. The PS4 retails for $399 and the Xbox One costs $499. Then again, a computer offers added value; it can do many things consoles can’t, and it is backwards compatible with (most) previously released PC games. The only feature the PC lacks is compatibility with your couch – but that, too, may soon change.

Steam OS: The missing link

While the console vs. PC debate has always been interesting to gamers and hardware enthusiasts, its practical implications have been more suspect. This is because the two platforms have very different controls. PC games are solitary and serious, while console games are more public and laid-back. This is a problem that can’t be solved by megahertz or core counts.

Valve may have a solution. The company’s Steam OS will feature in-home streaming technology that can display a computer game on a television without the PC being physically connected, and Valve is simultaneously developing a controller that’s meant to make games designed only for PC playable from a couch. If Valve pulls this off, PC gaming will finally reach beyond the confines of the desk.

 

Even if Steam OS stumbles, others (like Nvidia, which offers local streaming as a feature on its Shield handheld) will try to harness the potential of new developments in wireless networking.  Many homes now have an 802.11n router, which offers bandwidth of at least 150 Mbps, and 802.11ac is beginning its march into the mainstream. Consumers will soon have access to affordable 802.11ac routers that provide bandwidth of at least 300 Mbps. This makes streaming content across a local network easier and more reliable, which in turn means that the device displaying a game (or other software) need not be the device running it.

Conclusion

The long-term consequences of wireless networking’s advances are troubling for dedicated gaming consoles. If a computer could stream games easily throughout a home, it would provide consumers with better graphics quality and a wider selection of less expensive games, all at a lower overall cost (because most homes will need at least one PC, anyway).

We’re still at least a few years away from such a reality becoming mainstream, and the next console generation will probably see strong sales at their introduction, despite the many disappointments that have been unveiled since their initial announcements. The Xbox 360 came out eight years ago, and the PlayStation 3 seven years ago – that’s a long generation!

But the next-gen consoles may be the last of their kind. The Xbox One and PlayStation 4 have an expected lifespan of at least a decade, and it seems likely that computing will be thoroughly enthralled with the cloud by then. A console, particularly those as relatively anemic as the PS4 and Xbox One, will no longer make sense in a world where resources can be off-loaded to a device in the next room or, in some cases, servers that are hundreds of miles away. A decade from now, all gamers may be PC gamers.




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Microsoft Confirms PS4 Can Be Connected To Xbox One

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     Microsoft executive Albert Panello confirmed that PlayStation 4 can be connected to Xbox One through the latter's HDMI-in port, thus allowing PS4 games to run within an Xbox One overlay.

Panello also confirmed that, using this setup, players can multi-task between the two rival consoles.
 "Any application can be snapped to a game... so if you wanted to be playing Ryse and Killzone at the same time, you could snap that," he said.
(Killzone is a PlayStation exclusive while Ryse is an Xbox exclusive.)

Evidently, any console that outputs to HDMI can be connected to Xbox One in the same mannar. Such consoles include Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii U.

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Pirate Bay next on anti-piracy group’s hit list

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      Though you may know Europe as a bastion of universal health care and the location of the legendary destination known as Amsterdam, the old world is getting a reputation for something entirely different and perhaps unexpected: fighting piracy.

Big name U.S. outfits like Disney, Fox-Paramount, Sony Music, Universal Pictures, and Warner Bros. pursued legal action against and were successful in their efforts to get movie streaming sites Swefilmer, Dreamfilm, Movie4K and PrimeWire blocked by internet service providers in Denmark. This comes after the U.K. put the kibosh on movie streaming sites SolarMovie and TubePlus. The moves were made by an anti-piracy group called Rights Alliance, which represents and works to defend those who hold copyrights.

“The four sites are the most popular among users, and the sites each offer thousands of movies without paying money back to the people who have invested in the films. Prime Wire for example offers around 55,000 movies,” anti-piracy group Rights Alliance said in a statement.

Another anti-piracy group is planning to make similar moves soon, with Pirate Bay at the top of its agenda, along with other sites. However, getting any site blocked in Norway won’t exactly be a walk in the park according to Olav Torvund, an attorney.

“First, you have to prove that there are violations of copyright on a large-scale, then the court must weigh up whether to shut down access to freedom and freedom of information,” Torvund.

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10 Martial Arts Actors Who Deserve More Recognition

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      Call me crazy, but I find nothing more exhilarating than watching a character who is really quite unlikeable copping a highly stylized fly kick to the face. Yes, I am a martial arts fanatic and I believe that there is an inherent and palpable satisfaction associated with witnessing a hand to hand exchange and flying feet delivered with precise technique.

       The Kung Fu Revolution began around the early 70s, long before I was born, and the genre has certainly developed and evolved greatly over the course of the last four decades. Following the release of the unparalleled Bruce Lee classic Enter The Dragon in 1973, a legion of kung fu flicks soon after flooded the market to keep up with the new craze that had swept over the movie going public. The likes of veteran superstars with incredible talent such as Jet Li, Jackie Chan, Donnie Yen, Sammo Hung, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Cynthia Rothrock, Wesley Snipes, Dolph Lundgren and so many more have won success and acclaim due to their flabbergasting physical abilities.

Then there are the “newbies” who are rising in the ranks as talent to watch out for. Those such as Tony Jaa, who re-defined martial arts cinema with 2003’s Ong Bak and now finally getting his big Hollywood break with Fast & Furious 7, and Iko Uwais, who wowed everyone with his brutal physical performance in 2011’s sleeper hit The Raid: Redemption, are being entrusted with the prestigious honor of carrying the torch from the veterans.

To celebrate the recent release of Jackie Chan’s reportedly final big action spectacular CZ12 (aka Chinese Zodiac), let’s take a look at who believe are still the unsung heroes of the genre, those who have done amazing work but still just haven’t cracked that nutshell of worldwide recognition.

10. Wu Jing

     If there’s anyone in the martial arts movie world that is truly enigmatic, it would have to be Wu Jing. He first kicked onto the scene in Yuen Wo Ping’s Tai Chi Boxer (aka Tai Chi 2) but didn’t really make an impression until he clashed with Donnie Yen in 2005’s SPL (aka Kill Zone).

His style very much resembles that of Jet Li (as they’re both Wu Shu champions) and his talent is unquestionable. So why is he enigmatic? Because he has been in some very decent films but still for some reason has not been able to rise very high on the Hollywood ladder. He is frequently cast in supporting roles and has headlined only a handful of films (including his co-directed effort Legendary Assassin), but these efforts thus far haven’t launched him as a bonafide star.

If anyone has seen him in action, his skill is nothing short of incredible. He is fast, agile, powerful, and his timing is impeccable, just watch his infamous alleyway fight against Donnie Yen in SPL and you’ll know exactly what I mean. He delivers strong and capable performances in each of his films and he should most definitely be more widely recognized than he is.

9. Marko Zaror

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     This Chilean born martial artist/stuntman is still in the early stages of cutting his teeth in the action movie world. So why is he on this list? Because his villainous performance as Raul “Dolor” Quinones in Isaac Florentine’s seminal sequel and highly acclaimed DTV film Undisputed 3: Redemption should’ve launched him right there and then.

Undisputed 3 was released in 2010, so that’s 3 years that have now elapsed, and the Chilean Dragon (as he is dubbed) has been completely off the radar until now. He starred in and served as fight choreographer for a number of low budget Spanish films including Kiltro (2006), Mirageman (2007) and Mandrill (2009), which all allowed him to showcase his immaculate Kickboxing, Tae Kwon Do and acrobatic abilities. He can move his hands and feet as fast as lightning, and while he isn’t overly bulked up, he has an unmistakable presence and can match up to the best of them.

Zaror can now be seen in theaters now opposite Danny Trejo in the star-studded Machete Kills, so who knows what doors that will open up for him.
Come on Hollywood, give this guy the breakthrough movie that he so greatly deserves!

8. Lateef Crowder Dos Santos

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     One of the pleasures of watching a martial arts movie is gawking in an awe-inspired manner at the intricate choreography and acrobatics that are transpiring before your very eyes. One martial arts style that is particularly beautiful to look at is the Brazilian style of Capoeira, a half dance/half self defense system that is incredibly graceful and complex, and no one has delivered this style on the screen so convincingly and effectively as Lateef Crowder Dos Santos, one of the few human beings out there who could actually win a fight while standing on one hand.

Lateef started out as a member of the ZeroGravity Stunt Team before breaking out with his first feature appearance opposite Tony Jaa in 2005’s Tom Yum Goong (aka The Protector). His fight scene against Jaa is considered to be one of the highlights of the film, and he has since appeared in many low budget martial arts centered flicks such as the MMA ensemble Never Surrender (2009), the film adaptation of Tekken (2010), and opposite Scott Adkins and Marko Zaror in Undisputed 3: Redemption.

When you watch him in action, it is very hard to believe he performs his moves without any wires or stunt doubles. Santos truly looks like he is obliterating the laws of physics and defying gravity.
He doesn’t appear all that much in front of the camera but he has performed stunts for major films like The Book Of Eli, The Expendables, Sucker Punch and the upcoming sequel 300: Rise Of An Empire. He seriously needs his own movie though, and a big one too, because a man of his talent is just too unique to allow to go to waste. Not that it is going to waste doing what he’s doing, I just think he deserves something far bigger that thrusts him onto center stage.

7. Gary Daniels

 



     This action export from the UK started out on the scene in the late 80s, so he could really be classed as a veteran, but he has yet to have his ‘big break.’ Gary had a professional fighting career both locally and internationally before he made the jump into acting and over the years, he’s had a long string of appearances in low budget DTV films and made enough of an impact to become a fan favourite.

With decent acting chops, an arsenal of awesome techniques, and facing off against other martial arts favourites such as Jackie Chan, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa and Darren Shahlavi, he was set to become martial arts cinema’s next big thing. Somehow, he never really catapulted far past the DTV market until most recently, when he landed a supporting role in Sylvester Stallone’s action ensemble The Expendables, where he had the opportunity to be double-teamed by Jet Li and Jason Statham. He also starred opposite Wesley Snipes that same year in Game Of Death (no relation to Bruce Lee’s unfinished classic), and although that was also a DTV film, he proved to be a very effective villain and had a surprisingly decent showdown with Snipes.

I’ve been watching Gary for years now, and while he has just turned 50, he evidently still has what it takes to bring it and doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon. All he needs is a decent-budgeted film to be able to show everyone what he’s really made of.

6. Joey Ansah

 



    One could argue that Joey Ansah got his big break with his role as the assassin Desh who is tasked with taking down Jason Bourne in 2007’s The Bourne Ultimatum, and while this was a great performance, I still don’t count it as such because it wasn’t his movie.

This martial arts prodigy, who also hails from the UK, is a man of many talents. Not only has he landed some nifty roles in small but well received DTV films, he also flexes his skills in the fight choreography and directing fields. He is well versed in the styles of Tae Kwon Do, Capoeira and Ninjustu, and performs all of his own stunts. Jump on YouTube and seek out the Street Fighter: Legacy short film and you’ll see just how adept Joey Ansah is at his craft.

He can now be seen in a supporting role opposite Scott Adkins in Green Street Hooligans 3: Never Back Down, and also serves as fight choreographer for the film. Hopefully this will be the springboard needed to launch him into the limelight.

5. Jon Foo

 

      Our number five contender has worked with the best of the best of action cinema. He made his debut in the Jackie Chan-produced action comedy House Of Fury under the martial arts direction of the legendary Yuen Wo Ping, and also made a brief appearance in Universal Soldier: Regeneration.

 His martial arts talent has won over fans worldwide and while he headlined the adaptation of the popular video game Tekken, it wasn’t that well received critically or financially.

Tekken should’ve been Jon Foo’s big break, but bringing a successful interpretation of a video game into film (especially these days) is notoriously difficult to do. He did star as Ryu in Joey Ansah’s Street Fighter: Legacy short and the recent Bangkok Revenge, so he is certainly not short of work, nor is he aligning himself with substandard projects which will possibly hinder his advancement in the action world. We all have to start somewhere small to then get somewhere big, Jon Foo just should’ve made it there long ago.

4. Cyril Raffaelli

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Many of the contenders on this list are multitalented, and Cyril Raffaelli is no different as he serves as actor, stunt coordinator, fight choreographer and parkour specialist. He is probably best known to audiences internationally as the smaller-half of the deadly twins who face off against Jet Li in Kiss Of The Dragon and as the smooth moving parkour-utilizing police officer in the adrenaline pumping hit District B13 and its sequel.

Seriously, this guy is astounding. He is trained in Wu Shu and Shotokan Karate, and can do the craziest acrobatics this side of a circus troupe. His use of parkour brings a definitive quality to the projects he’s involved in and while he has had a big break of sorts with his District B13 films, and also appearing opposite Bruce Willis in Live Free Or Die Hard, he deserves to be in much bigger projects. He is incredibly charismatic, and if District B13 is anything to go by, he has a lot more to offer than what we’ve seen.

3. Michael Jai White

 

     When anyone mentions Michael Jai White to me, I always think to myself, “how is it that it took so long for this guy to be discovered?” Now, some may argue with me that MJW is certainly popular enough and is already widely recognized, I still think he deserves far greater praise and many more higher profile projects.

On this list, he holds up well in terms of experience as he is trained in various martial arts styles such as Shotokan Karate, Wu Shu, Tae Kwon Do, and Tang Soo Do, as well as a few others. He has performed stunt work for many films and finally made it on the map in 1997’s misdirected Spawn. He had a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo in the original Universal Soldier and would then go on to play the main antagonist in its sequel, Universal Soldier: The Return. Another appearance in the Joel Silver-produced ‘comeback’ film for Steven Seagal, Exit Wounds further elevated his action status, but he still just wasn’t where he deserved to be.

Only lately has he started to rise up as a bonafide action star, with impressive work against Scott Adkins in Isaac Florentine’s Undisputed 2: Last Man Standing and the surprisingly enjoyable good Blood And Bone, where he had the opportunity to flex his acting muscles as well as some crushing MMA moves.

With his directorial debut Never Back Down 2: The Beatdown, landing the role of Major Jackson ‘Jax’ Briggs on the highly successful mini web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy, and a great performance in the hilarious blaxploitation spoof Black Dynamite, time will only tell where this amazingly charismatic and highly skilled actor/martial artist will go.

2. Mark Dacascos

 

     This guy needs no introduction as he is known as a legend throughout martial arts circles. He helped usher in the martial arts craze of the 90s and stood alongside the greats of this era with a body of work that is considered to be stellar. He twirled, flipped, somersaulted, kicked and lightning punched his way through many villains and attached a wonderful acting performance each and every time.

Hawaiian born Mark Dacascos always wowed me when I was younger, he has talent that many could only wish for. He headlined a string of genre favourites including the Capoeira centered Only The Strong, the manga-adapted Crying Freeman, and the high impact action packed/buddy film Drive, which is considered by many fans and critics alike to be his absolute best.

Unfortunately, very few of his films have been recognized on a large scale and he unfairly hasn’t enjoyed the level of status that many of his peers have attained. He plats both villains and heroes, which avoids him from being typecast, and he appears to really give 100% in everything he undertakes. He even took on the role that Brandon Lee immortalized in The Crow, as he played ill-fated rockstar Eric Draven in the short-lived TV series The Crow: Stairway To Heaven. While the series was canned after only one season, Mark Dacascos brought gravitas and did justice to a role that by all rights could’ve been criticized greatly just for simply not being left alone after Brandon Lee’s passing.

In the new millennium, Dacascos has appeared in some high profile projects, including the acclaimed French period piece/action horror film Brotherhood Of The Wolf, taking on Jet Li in Cradle 2 The Grave, and regularly appearing as The Chairman on Iron Chef America. He also has a villainous recurring role on the action series Hawaii Five-O and has resurged in the martial arts world with landing the role of Shaolin monk Kung Lao in the second season of the hugely successful web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy. While he is popular worldwide, I still think Mark Dacascos should’ve been catapulted into the greatest action star category long ago.

1. Scott Adkins

 

       Ask anyone who they think is worthy of carrying the torch of martial arts films from the old school guys who are starting to slow down, and the answer will be time and time again our number one contender, Scott Adkins. This man is a true marvel, he has very strong acting abilities along with the ability to perform any acrobatic and martial arts move in existence.

His first appearance in a full length feature was in the little known Chinese-produced Extreme Challenge, followed shortly after by an appearance in Jackie Chan’s The Accidental Spy. He had a substantially meatier role in Tsui Hark’s ill-received sequel Black Mask 2: City Of Masks and while the movie may have not been all it could be, his performance was certainly the one that stood out, and he got to mix it up with rising martial arts star Andy On under Yuen Wo-Ping’s masterful fight direction.

Showing off his incredible Tae Kwon Do and Kickboxing skills in each film, Scott then hooked up with fan-favourite action director Isaac Florentine for the low-budgeted Special Forces and he hasn’t looked back since. He would go on to collaborate again with Florentine many times over and leave his mark on the action world with his signature role as Russian prisoner and self-professed ‘most complete fighter in the world’ Yuri Boyka in the awesome sequels Undisputed 2: Last Man Standing and Undisputed 3: Redemption.

Now, he is well and truly hitting his stride, having appeared in The Expendables 2 alongside, well, everyone, and in the same year he pulled out all stops to take on both Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren in Universal Soldier: Day Of Reckoning. With Ninja: Shadow Of A Tear and Green Street Hooligans 3: Never Back Down due for release, Scott Adkins is here, and he is here to stay. Why oh why did it take Hollywood so darn long to take notice?

I can already think of another half a dozen contenders that didn’t make the list, so lay it on me, who did I miss that you think should’ve made it? Do you agree with the choices? Leave a comment below.

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Sony PlayStation 4 review

 



SONY'S PLAYSTATION 4 ISN'T A GAME CONSOLE, IT'S A LIVING ROOM COMMAND CENTER

 

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Many of the PlayStation 4 apps and functions only just became available to test, while a few others are still being rolled out. With that in mind, we will continue to test the system throughout the week, and we will update this article accordingly.

It’s not enough to just be a gamer anymore.

Hardware makers know that you’re using any number of devices at any given moment, even while you’re in the act of fragging dudes in the latest shooter, and the next generation of consoles has been designed with that in mind. While Microsoft markets the Xbox One as an “all-in-one entertainment” box and Sony’s messaging courts hardcore gamers, the consoles’ features tell the full story: These are both all-in-one boxes that cater by design to a variety of entertainment needs.

So which one belongs beneath your television? We’ve yet to hunker down with the Xbox One, so we can’t yet say with certainty. But after spending some serious time with the PlayStation 4, we know Microsoft will have its work cut out for it. Here’s what Sony’s next-generation PlayStation is all about.

Before you begin

It should be a given that you’ll need the 300MB day one patch, titled update 1.50. Without it, many of the PS4’s primary functions – including anything more than basic online connectivity and DVD/Blu-ray playback – simply won’t work. If you get a PS4 on launch day but then take it somewhere without an Internet connection – people in the military, take note – you’ll need a way to get online for the quick patch.

That’s the nature of electronic products these days. Hardware and software developers alike know they have the safety net of post-launch patches. This leaves us in the position of having to judge the system based not only on what it is, but what it will be, and could be. And the PlayStation 4 is a powerful gaming device with excellent potential.

Features and design

The PS4 is relatively small, packaged in a simple black chassis, and it features a sloped front occupied by a disc slot and touch-sensitive power and eject switches. You just swipe your finger across the face to start the system; it’s slick, but having some form of haptic feedback to confirm your touch would be nice. A light bar on the top turns blue to signal it’s powering up, white when it’s smoothly running, and yellow when it’s powered down. It isn’t a very useful feature, but it is a stylish one that will define the look of the system.

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     The console runs very quietly, except when you put a disc in for the first time. The spinning disc is noisy and creates a noticeable vibration. Every game you play is automatically installed on the replaceable 500GB hard drive, but you can still play the game while it loads. Once the install is done, you just need the disc in the drive whenever you want to play, for authentication. After installing the newest updates, you will only have about 375GB left, though. Upgrading to a higher capacity internal hard drive is recommended, although not essential

Controller

The DualShock 4 is a massive improvement over previous Sony controllers. It’s a long-overdue redesign, shaped by input that Sony collected from developers during the PS4′s pre-production phase. First-person shooter games in particular benefit from a specific type of controller, one with triggers and a longer frame to grip than previous Sony controllers offered. With FPS titles being so popular, it made sense to design with that group in mind, though it should be noted that the DualShock 4 works just fine with other types of games as well.

 [Gamers with large hands will engulf this controller]

    The new R2/L2 triggers hook outwards like real triggers, making it easier to grip and fire quickly. The thumbsticks have also been altered, with a concave top that offers better stability for your thumbs and less slippage. Despite the controller’s bulkier frame over previous DualShocks, it is still a bit shorter than the current Xbox 360 controller; gamers with large hands will engulf this controller.

    The D-pad is unchanged, but the face buttons are digital rather than analog now, with a springier, clicky feel when you press them. The newest addition, the touch pad, is hard to miss. Situated in the center of the DualShock 4, the touch-sensitive surface can track finger movement, allowing for swipe motions in games, and it can also be pressed down on like a button. There’s a lot of potential here for developers to marry “traditional” video game commands with what we see in mobile games. It will be interesting to see how this feature evolves post-launch.

 

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     We’re left with the Options and Share buttons. “Options” is a different name for what gamers know as a start button, plain and simple. The Share button is a bit more unusual though – and unique. Tapping it brings up a share menu; press and hold the button to take a screenshot that you can upload, or press it twice to begin a new gameplay recording (this only works with games; the service deactivates itself for apps like Netflix). Up to 15 minutes of footage can be saved, and then uploaded to Facebook. You can also go through the share menu and stream video to Twitch or Ustream.

 

    The controller sports a speaker with its own audio channel, meaning it won’t simply play the same sounds you would hear through your TV speakers or headphones. You also get dual haptic feedback, an evolution of rumble features that allows for the vibration to shake either side of the controller as well as the whole thing. In addition, there’s improved gyroscopic control and a light bar on the front of the controller that integrates the Move technology, so long as you have a PlayStation 4 Eye camera connected. The light bar also acts an identifier for when multiple controllers are connected to the same system, with a different color for each one.

Performance

    The PlayStation 4′s launch titles look significantly better than the current-gen offerings, with a higher level of detail, vastly improved lighting effects, and more objects on the screen at once. As with all console launches, game development cycles were curtailed by the hardware launch deadline. The available content right now shows huge potential, but it will likely be at least two years before developers really begin to push the hardware.

[One of the best functions of the PS4 is its ability to run two apps at once]

 

The user interface is a different story. One of the best functions of the PS4 is its ability to run two apps at once, and access the home screen functions at any time, even when you’re in a game. Tapping the PS button on the controller twice allows you to swap back and forth between the currently running app and the last one you were using. You can slow down the system easily if you have too many apps running at once, but it generally runs smoothly; freezes and slowdowns were rare.

Switching between apps that are already open takes no time at all, and starting up a new one takes just a few seconds. You can’t run two games at the same time, but you can easily run one game along with, say, the Web browser or Music Unlimited.

Sony’s subscription music service is at once one of the best and most frustrating features on the PS4. The Music Unlimited app has a massive, searchable library of 18 million songs. Once you hit play, you can then jump into another app, like a game, and have the music continue uninterrupted, basically creating your own game soundtracks. You’ll want to turn down the game’s music and then adjust the Music Unlimited volume by holding down the PS button to bring up a volume bar. Currently, you can only do this using Music Unlimited, and it’ll stay that way until Sony introduces DLNA and MP3 recognition (ideally along with support for external USB storage).

 

Software and online capabilities

Along with Sony’s Music and Video Unlimited apps, the PS4 also comes with several popular third-party subscription video services like Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon to name just a few. The Netflix interface is a highlight, with a smooth, info-filled movie browser and the same Netflix Max discovery feature that the PS3 app offered. With Max, you rate a few films in a chosen genre, and then receive a recommended movie to watch based on your choices.

The PlayStation Store also returns, but it’s slightly underwhelming at the moment due to the console’s lack of backward compatibility. The only games available are those that were designed specifically for the PS4. There’s hope for those who want to play the older games, but that speaks to another bit of unrealized potential we are forced to wait on: the streaming technology that Sony’s ownership of Gaikai offers.

 

A Web browser is also available, with support for HTML5 but not Flash. The interface is fairly clunky as well, and putting it into full screen cuts off the corners of the website you’re viewing. It’s fine for text-heavy websites, but anything more elaborate is difficult to navigate.

Profiles have also been upgraded, and they now link to your Facebook account if you want them to. This creates two layers of friends: those you only know in the gaming zone by their PSN IDs, and those you know well enough to have their real names. You can request a player’s real name – there are separate friend requests for PSN IDs and real names – though you have the option of setting your account to display your FB name from the start.

Once you link your social media account – a necessary step for sharing recorded video – you will also share the Trophies you earn, any big moments from the games you play, and which movies and music you purchased via Music and Video Unlimited in your newsfeed. All of this can be turned off, but it does offer a level of social integration that is new to the PlayStation ecosystem. It’s difficult to tell what people will accept when it comes to social integration; having the option available could help to nurture a stronger community.

Accessories

For Vita owners, the PS4 will breathe new life into the handheld console. Sony’s handheld gaming system has been criticized for its limited (though continually growing) game library, but the PS4 gives you more reasons to own one. A new Vita app called “PS4 Link” allows you to use the Vita as a second screen for any game that offers such functionality, or play PS4 games remotely. This isn’t a new feature for Sony platforms – the PS3 supported it in certain games using the Vita and the PlayStation Portable both – but it was limited. The PS4/Vita integration represents a huge step forward for off-TV play on Sony consoles.

 

 

     The PlayStation 4 Camera is sold separately for $60, but it’s closer to being an essential purchase. It features two cameras and a microphone, which allows it to double as a communications device when talking to friends. Alternatively you could use the stereo headset included, which physically connects to your controller – Bluetooth connectivity for headsets isn’t supported at launch.

 



    The camera enables the Move functionality offered by the DualShock 4′s lightbar, but it also recognizes your face. When you have multiple profiles on your PS4 and you set the system to a low-power standby mode, the camera will automatically recognize the face of the profile owner that sits down in front of it once they pick up a controller. It is very similar to what Microsoft’s Kinect can do on the Xbox One, and in both cases it is a very cool “We live in the future!” sort of feature.
Voice recognition also allows you to launch apps from the home screen, but it is fairly limited in its vocabulary right now.

Conclusion

The PlayStation 4 is built on promise and potential. The system that we see in a year from now will likely differ significantly from the launch-day units, just as the games released a year or more from now will better demonstrate the machine’s power. Until then, the PS4 does a lot of things right – enough that it’s worth waiting and trusting that Sony will fix the little things they did away with or deprioritized for launch.
From the start, Sony has said the PS4 is a gaming system first. Gaikai streaming tech will eventually bolster that claim, but the changes here over the PS3 are all very much for the better, even without any form of backward compatibility. The user interface is cleaner and easier to navigate, the addition of multi-tasking acknowledges the changing needs and desires of the modern gamer, and even the controller is a big step forward with its redesigned form factor.
The next-gen battle has begun, and it’s going to be a long, long war. Based on what we’ve seen so far, and assuming that Sony sticks to its promises, the PlayStation 4 is off to a very good start.

Highs

• Powerful hardware hasn’t even reached its full potential
• Much-improved DualShock 4 controller
• Multitasking allows background downloads, music over games and more
• Sharing content is simple
• Justifies owning a Vita

Lows

• Many features still on the way, like Gaikai streaming games
• Baffling lack of DLNA and MP3 support

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AMD Kaveri To Launch On January 14th As A10-7850K

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         AMD has announced at the developer conference APU13 that it will launch the new AMD Kaveri, also known as A10-7850K, next year on the 14th of January. The statement made by AMD at the conference also points to the CES 2014 where AMD will reveal more details about the Kaveri CPU.

        Kaveri will be AMD’s third-gen performance APU and the first with heterogeneous system architecture (HSA) features. It also supports AMD’s TrueAudio technology and its Mantle API. The Kaveri chip boosts 856 GFlops, the core frequency will be 3.7 GHz with a GPU that gets 512 shader units at 720 MHz.

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     Kaveri boosts devices to the “next level of graphics, compute and efficiency.” To that end, Kaveri is built on up to four “Steamroller” x86, multi-thread cores. In terms of graphics, Kaveri has up to eight Graphics Core Next GPU cores. The GPU carries more of the workload, and a feature called hUMA turns it into a “first-class citizen” when accessing memory. In fact, the GPU is so first class it jams takes up almost 50% of the die and is a 512-core part.

    Kaveri’s heterogeneous queuing also brings parity to the processors, and the GPU and CPU are equally equipped to create and dispatch work. Instead of having to communicate through the operating system, the two units communicate workload through queues. AMD claimed it marks the first time a GPU and CPU have uniform visibility into a machine’s entire memory space.

    The price is still not known but according to John Taylor, corporate vice president of corporate communication, the price of a single Kaveri APU is cheaper than a CPU and GPU sold separately from competitors. To show Kaveri’s dominance, AMD ran the APU against a combo Intel Core i7 4470K CPU and Nvidia GeForce GT630 GPU in a 1080 x 1920 Battlefield 4 demo. The results outputted showed Kaveri running nearly double the frames for second.

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كيف أزرع الطمأنينة في قلب زوجي؟

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      سؤال هام جدا تطرحه الكثيرات، ما الذي يطلبه الرجل من زوجته كي يشعر بالرضا والسعادة؟ هل يكفي أن تكون زوجته طاهية ممتازة كي يعيش سعيداَ وراضياَ؟ الجواب هو بالتأكيد لا، فالرجل يطلب أكثر من ذلك كي يشعر بالأمان مع زوجته:

هو يحتاج للشعور بالتقدير من قبل زوجته ويسعده مديحها له عند كل عمل يقوم به ويرضيه أن يشعر باحترام زوجته له بعيداَ عن كلام الغمز واللمز أو الاستهزاء خصوصاَ في العلن.

الزوج لا يحب بالعادة الزوجة المتذمرة، على الزوجة أن تقول بصراحة وبكل وضوح ما تريد بدون أية مقدمات لا داعي لها ومن الأفضل استخدام العبارات اللطيفة عند طلب أي شئ.

من جهة ثانية، لا يحب الرجال الأحاديث الطويلة المملة أكثر 3 دقائق. على الزوجة استخدام جمل قصيرة وواضحة بدون لف ودوران. كما أنه يكره المرأة الغاضبة، فلسان وصوت أي امرأة غاضبة ألد اعداء الرجل وأغلبية الرجال ينجذبون لنغمة الصوت اللطيفة البطيئة.

يحب الرجال الزوجة الهادئة عاطفياَ التي تملك السيطرة على عاطفتها ويغضب عند مواجهة المرأة المشحونة عاطفياَ التي تثير الرعب والتشويش لديه.
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الطريق المثلى لإنقاص الوزن

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        السؤال الذي يقض مضجع الكثير من النساء وربما القليل من الرجال يتعلق بالحل السحري والفعال لإنقاص الوزن بالسرعة القصوى وبدون أية مضاعفات جانبية. لا نريد أن نجعلكم تصابون بالإحباط ولكن هذا الحل السحري غير موجود رغم كل النصائح والوصفات التي تتخمنا بها المحطات الإعلامية صباح مساء.

من المستحيل التخلص من الوزن الزائد المتراكم من سنين عديدة خلال يوم أو أسبوع أو حتى شهر، ولكن كما يقال الطريق الطويل يبدأ بخطوة فابدؤوا هذا الطريق كالتالي:

أولاَ: يجب الالتزام ببرنامج غذائى ذي سعرات حرارية أقل من احتياجات الجسم (حوالى 1500 سعر حراري في اليوم)، مع اتباع بعض الحركات الرياضية البسيطة (المشي من الأنشطة التي يمكن ممارستها في أي وقت وفي أي مكان وفي أي سن).
من الأفضل إنقاص ما بين نصف إلى واحد كيلو جرام كل أسبوع، لأن محاولة إنقاص الوزن بسرعة أكبر يجعل الجسم يقلل من حرق السعرات الحرية كإجراء وقائي مما يولد مقاومة شديدة لنزول الوزن من ناحية، ومن ناحية أخرى، يمكن أن يؤدي إلى فقدان الوزن من الأنسجة العضلية.

يجب أن يكون البرنامج الغذائي المتبع متنوع الأطعمة، ويتحقق ذلك باختيار الأطعمة الصحية وتناول الخضراوات بكافة أشكالها وألوانها سواء طازجة أو مطبوخة والإكثار من السلطة الخضراء والإكثار من الخضراوات الورقية.
يفضل تناول ثمرة أو اثنين من الفاكهة يوميا، كما يجب أن يشتمل البرنامج على تناول كوب من اللبن خالي الدسم يوميا أو أحد منتجات الألبان قليلة أو منزوعة الدسم.

أما الماء فهو صديقكم الأول لإنقاص الوزن وذلك بتناول كميات وافرة من الماء لا تقل عن 2 لتر يومياَ.
الرشاقة في متناول الجميع بشرط أن لا نستعجل الحصول عليها.

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How to upgrade your PC to put it on par with the PS4 and Xbox One

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       The next generation of video game console hardware is (almost) here. The $499 Xbox One and $399 PlayStation 4, which we’ve already examined in detail, will both be on store shelves by the end of November. These arrivals will allow console games to make a dramatic leap forward in image quality, once again allowing them to compete with a powerful gaming PC.

While the most extreme computers will remain more powerful than the next-gen consoles, gamers lacking a bottomless bank account may look at the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 with envy. The graphics fidelity generated by both is impressive for the price. A brand new, $400 or $500 computer can’t hope to keep up, and gaming rigs that are a few years old will also be behind the standard set by the newest gaming systems.

However, there are a few things that PC gamers can do to bring an older system on par with the capabilities of the new consoles, ensuring that games that are released cross-platform will play just as well (if not better) on your PC. What’s more, you can install all of the necessary upgrades for the price of a PS4.


Keeping up with the octo-core

Both new consoles use processors based on AMD architecture and sport eight cores. Both the PS4 and the Xbox One also reserve a pair of cores for the operating system, making six cores available for games to make use of. The base clock for the PS4’s processor is 1.6 GHz, while the Xbox One runs at a slightly quicker 1.75 GHz.
These specifications may sound intimidating, particularly for PC gamers with old gear. Intel’s processors, which are generally preferred for gaming, usually come with no more than four cores. Six-core CPUs are prohibitively expensive. AMD offers eight core processors, but their chips suffer from lower per-core performance than what Intel has to offer. At first glance, it may seem that the PC can’t measure up to the latest console offers from Sony and Microsoft.

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Clock speed and core count don’t tell the whole story though. The architecture used by the new consoles is based off a design called Jaguar, which targets mobile devices, rather than the faster and more powerful Piledriver architecture, used in desktop computers. AMD powered laptops with Jaguar-derived processors tend to deliver benchmark scores several times slower than a modern AMD or Intel desktop CPU.

So, raw performance probably isn’t a concern; even a desktop that’s a few years old should provide adequate grunt. Core count, however, deserves more attention. With the new consoles offering six cores, and many modern gaming rigs now shipping with at least four cores, the writing is on the wall for older dual-core gaming PCs. Developers have more incentive than ever before to optimize for multi-core systems, and that will leave computers lacking at least four cores behind.

Gamers with an outdated processor don’t have to go crazy with an upgrade, however. Simply moving to an Intel Core i5-3330, a quad-core that runs at 3GHz and sells for $189, will give an older rig new life. However, the Core i5-3330 requires you to have a Socket 1155 motherboard. If you have a Socket 1150 mobo, then you could snag an Intel Core i5-4430 Haswell quad-core CPU, which also runs at 3GHz and can be currently had on Newegg for $175.

Those who have an older AMD Phenom or Athlon processor likely have an AM2/AM3 socket, which means your upgrade path will be limited to Phenom II X4 quad-core processors, which are now a bit hard to come by. However, they may still be a worthwhile upgrade if you have an AMD dual-core and can find a seller offering reasonable prices. Don’t be afraid to look for a used part, like the Phenom X4 955, which is often sold for around $100. Processors are reliable, so you can expect it to last despite its age.

Gamers with a newer (2011+) AMD system likely have an FM1 socket, which supports a variety of AMD A-Series processors. FM2 supports the latest AMD A-Series and AMD FX-Series parts, such as the $139 FX-8120, which boasts eight cores. If you can afford it, however, aim for the FX-8350, which runs at 4 GHz and sells for $199. The boost in clock speed can make a difference.


The battle of the TFLOPs

With the processor handled, gamers will next want to take a look at their graphics card. This has always been a critical component for an optimal PC gaming experience, and that won’t change anytime soon. Fortunately, there’s some good news here; the GPUs used by the PS4 and the Xbox One aren’t exactly warhorses.

Once again, both manufacturers are using a custom-tailored AMD architecture which is based off PC hardware. The Xbox One’s GPU has 768 cores running at 853 MHz, leading to peak theoretical output of 1.31 teraflops (FLOPS is short for Floating Point Operations Per Second). The PlayStation 4 has 1152 cores running at 800 MHz, generating a peak output of 1.84 TFLOPs.

These figures are a huge improvement over the PS3 and the Xbox 360, but not that impressive when compared to PC video cards. The on-paper power of the PlayStation 4 is only on par with the Radeon HD 7850, a competent but inexpensive card that usually sells for $140 to $160 and offers 1.76 TFLOPs of raw grunt.

While it’s likely that developers will eventually be able to squeeze more performance from the next-gen consoles than comparable PC hardware, cross-platform launch titles don’t seem to have an advantage on next-gen consoles. Battlefield 4, for example, can run at about 39 frames per second when powered by the Radeon HD 7850 at a resolution of 1680×1050 with maximum detail. The same game runs near or at 60 frames per second on the PlayStation 4, but only at a slightly reduced resolution of 1600×900 and with overall image quality that, according to Digital Foundry’s Thomas Morgan, comes “incloser to its [the PC’s] high setting.” Microsoft’s Xbox One, meanwhile, runs at 720p resolution.

This means you don’t have to spend all that much to shore up your PC’s graphics. A Radeon 7850 or GeForce GTX 650 Ti will do nicely, and both are available for $140 or less. Developers will likely learn to optimize for the next-gen consoles and eventually coax out far better performance, but for now, even a mid-range gaming PC can go toe-to-toe with consoles.


Gobs and gobs of RAM

Both the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One have eight gigabytes of RAM. The PS4 wields quicker GDDR5 RAM, but that is a detail most users need not worry about, and which PC gamers simply can’t match; DDR3 is the only choice for a modern PC’s main system RAM; GDDR is only found on video cards in PCs.

Such a huge volume of RAM may be intimidating for those on a PC, as the price for RAM is rising. The cost of an 8GB kit consisting of two 4GB DIMMs now hovers around $65, which is about twice what it was a year ago.

However, it’s worth remembering that both the next-gen consoles reserve a substantial amount of memory for their operating system; 3.5 GB on the PlayStation 4 and 3GB for the Xbox One. It’s arguable that Windows is actually less demanding, as while it can consume a lot of memory, it often does so through the use of smart caching that can actually improve load times. Realistically, only six gigabytes of RAM is needed to be competitive with consoles at this time.

Users who have existing DDR3 RAM, and additional RAM slots available inside their PC, can upgrade by continuing to use their existing RAM and adding four gigabytes of new RAM. That reduces the cost of upgrading to about $30.

Remember, however, that you need a 64-bit version of Windows to use more than four gigabytes of memory. Most PC ship with a 64-bit version today, but only some did a few years ago. You can upgrade your system by re-installing Windows from a 64-bit install disc or install media, such as a bootable USB drive.


Going toe-to-toe with consoles

Upgrading a computer to perform on par with next-gen consoles isn’t as hard or costly as you think. The total cost of a new processor, video card and additional RAM works out to about $400, which is the price of a PlayStation 4; and that’s assuming you need all the upgrades. Better yet, your old games will still work on your upgraded gaming rig! Take that, consoles!

There may be some gamers, however, who are stuck in a dead-end because their computer is too old. Gamers still using a system with a Core 2 Duo processor, for example, have no viable quad-core upgrade because compatible quad-cores are out of production and so old they wouldn’t be worth the cost. If your computer seems to be at an upgrade dead-end, check out our $500 Steam Box build guide; which requires you to just change the processor to a Core i5-3330, the RAM to eight gigabytes, and the video card to a Radeon HD 7850.

Alternatively, you can look at pre-built options, which can be surprisingly affordable. The Alienware X51, for example, starts at $700, and entry-level tower PCs with appropriate specifications can be purchased for around $800 on Newegg.


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What is 4K? Next-generation resolution explained

     If you keep track of next-generation TV technology, you're going to start hearing a lot more about 4K or Ultra HD. Here's what it is and why it exists.

The 84-inch LG 84LM9600 is the largest LCD released on the market so far, and one of the first with 4K resolution.
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As if LED and 3D TV weren't confusing enough, in the last few months we have seen a new HDTV technology called 4K, or its official name, Ultra HD. It's being heralded as the next high-def, and judging by the show floor at CES 2013, manufacturers are lining up to bring you a new array of products.
But just as was the case with 3D, it's the hardware chicken before the software egg: there's no consumer 4K content available. Still, if you listen to the industry, it'll tell you it's the last resolution you'll ever need. So what is 4K anyway, and what makes it different from high definition?



Digital resolutions: A primer

The latest in a line of broadcast and media resolutions, 4K/UHD is due to replace 1080i/p (1,920x1,080 pixels) as the highest-resolution signal available for movies and, perhaps, television.
Though there are several different standards, "4K" in general refers to a resolution of roughly 4,000 pixels wide and about 2,000 pixels high. That makes it the equivalent of four 1080p screens in height and length. Currently 4K is a catch-all term for a number of standards that are reasonably close to that resolution, and the TVs we'll see this year labeled 4K will actually be Ultra HD, which is defined below. But frankly, we think 4K is the catchier name.
Meanwhile, high definition (HD) itself has been with us for about a decade and is used in Blu-ray movies and HD broadcasts. There are three versions of HD: full high definition 1080p (progressive), 1080i (interlaced), and 720p (also called simply "high definition").
Most television programs and all DVDs are encoded in standard definition (480 lines). Standard definition is the oldest resolution still in use as it began life as NTSC broadcasts, switching to digital with the introduction of ATSC in 2007.

Four resolutions compared: standard definition; full high definition; Quad HD; and 4K/2K.
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The beginnings of digital cinema

The roots of 4K are in the theater.
When George Lucas was preparing to make his long-promised prequels to the "Star Wars" movies in the late '90s, he was experimenting with new digital formats as a replacement for film. Film stock is incredibly expensive to produce, transport, and store. If movie houses could simply download a digital movie file and display it on a digital projector, they could save a lot of money. In a time when cinemas are under siege from on-demand cable services and streaming video, cost-cutting helps to keep them competitive.
After shooting "The Phantom Menace" partly in HD, George Lucas shot "Attack of the Clones" fully digitally in 1080p. This was great for the future Blu-ray release, but the boffins soon found that 1080p wasn't high-enough resolution for giant theater screens. If you sit in the front rows of one of these theaters as it's displaying 1080p content, you may see a softer image or the lattice grid of pixel structure, which can be quite distracting.
The industry needed a resolution that would work if the audience were sitting in the optimum "one-and-a-half times the screen height" from the screen or closer, and found it required that resolution to be higher than 1080p. The Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI) was formed in 2002 with the goal of setting a digital standard. Based on these efforts, two new resolutions came about: a 2K specification, and later in 2005, the 4K format.
The first high-profile 4K cinema release was "Blade Runner: The Final Cut" in 2007, a new cut and print of the 1982 masterpiece. Unfortunately, at that time very few theaters were able to show it in its full resolution. It would take one of director Ridley Scott's contemporaries to truly drive 4K into your local cineplex.

The 4K 'standard'

Despite the industry's best intentions, there is still no single 4K standard -- there are five or more different shooting resolutions available. In cinemas, you see projectors based on the DCI specification.

In August 2012, the Consumer Electronics Association attempted to clarify the situation for the home by introducing the term Ultra High Definition defined as resolutions of "at least 3,840x2,160 pixels". However, the next day Sony muddied the waters by saying it was going to call the technology "4K Ultra High Definition".
The HDMI organization recently added two types of 4K support to its latest 1.4 specification: the former "Quad HD" (strictly 3,840x2,160 pixels) and 4K/2K, also called 4Kx2K (4,096x2,160 pixels). While only Quad HD conforms to the classic 16:9 ratio of modern television screens, both Quad HD and 4K/2K qualify as "Ultra High Definition".
Meanwhile, some industry experts have questioned the necessity of 4K as a home format, given the lack of content and the need for very large displays to appreciate the extra resolution.
"There was a huge, noticeable leap from standard definition to HD, but the difference between 1080p and 4K is not as marked," said researcher Dave Lamb of 3M Laboratories.
Lamb added that "4K is at the point of diminishing returns," but there could be some benefits for screens over 55 inches.


In-home 4K, now and the future

The 4K TVs will be big and expensive for the next couple of years.
Most companies have committed to releasing 4K displays in 2013, and in the absence of 4K media to watch, the main benefit would seem to be the enhancement of 3D quality. The resolution disadvantages of LG's passive 3D system can, in theory, be overcome by doubling the number of horizontal and vertical pixels, allowing 4K passive displays like the LG 84LM9600 (due this summer) to deliver 1080p to both eyes.
The first consumer-grade 4K panel to hit the U.S. market was the LG 84LM9600 that features a UHD resolution of 3,840x2,160 pixels and currently goes for $17,000. Meanwhile, Sony's 84-inch XBR-84X900 TV will set you back 25K. More TVs will be coming your way in 2013.
Sony announced its 4K home-theater projector, the VPL-VW1000ES, in September 2011, but does not make the product available through its Web site or stores and instead sells it directly to custom installers. Meanwhile, JVC announced four projectors in 2011 that upscale 1080p content to 4K but currently are unable to display native 4K content.
In the absence of 4K content, players and displays will need to upscale 1080p or even standard-definition content. To this end, Sony has a Blu-ray player, the BDP-S790, that will upscale to 4K. Sony has also announced it will bundle a movie server that has 4K films stored on it with its X900 TV.
Looking to the future, Sony is reportedly keen to have the forthcoming "Spider-Man" reboot become one of the first 4K Blu-ray movies, and is apparently in talks with the Blu-ray Disc Association to finalize the specification.
Tim Alessi, director of home electronics development at LG, said he believed that such a development was not only inevitable but also potentially valuable.
"I do expect that at some point [4K] will be added [to the Blu-ray specification]. Having that content in the home is what the average consumer will want," Alessi said.
Just when we thought we had it all covered, 4K may not even be the final word in resolution. Japanese broadcaster NHK was the first to demonstrate 8K in 2008, and at CES 2012 there were industry murmurings -- and at least one prototype -- devoted to higher-than-4K resolution.


Conclusion

Will the extra resolution offered by 4K make movies better? You could argue that it depends on the format of the original film. For example, "The Blair Witch Project" and "28 Days Later" were both shot with standard-definition camcorders, and there would arguably be little extra benefit to buying either movie in a 4K native format over a DVD -- depending on the quality of the scaler in your brand-new 4K screen, of course.
Even with reference-quality native 4K material, however, a 4K-resolution TV or projector won't provide nearly the visible improvement over a standard 1080p model that going from standard-def to high-def did. To appreciate it you'll have to have sit quite close to a large screen -- sort of like being in the front few rows of a movie theater.
But whether it's 4K or 8K, you can bet that manufacturers haven't run out of cards when it comes to trying out the next "must-have" feature in the coming crops of televisions.

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