Comments 274

Re: Video: Sony Must Not Allow PlayStation VR to Wilt

professorhat

As usual, most naysayers are ones who haven't tried it - to be expected, as it's something you have to try before you realise just how good it is. A lot of my friends were enthralled when they tried it at Christmas, and none of them even own a gaming console.

The only thing that will prevent PS VR from being a big thing is a lack of available stock, and then a lack of available games / experiences.

Re: PS4's YouTube App Scores 360 Degree Video Support with PlayStation VR

professorhat

Ooo, this sounds interesting! A quick look on the playlist shows some potentially fascinating videos. To be honest, this is one of the things that excites me a lot - VR experiences that let you immerse yourself in a world you could otherwise not experience e.g. the Expedition to the Heart of an Active Volcano looks like it might be awesome.

Re: Site News: Welcome to the New Push Square

professorhat

Having seen these redesigns on other sites, wait for a number of regulars to say how awful it is and that they'll never read the site again, as "it's just unbearable". They will then continue to post such comments for a few weeks, possibly months before they realise it's actually alright once they got used to it, and everyone is fed up with their complaining anyway.

For me, I just need to get used to it. On my phone, it does seem a bit easier to read. Like any redesign, I suspect there will be a few gremlins that will be coded out as they're discovered.

Have to see what the site looks like on a proper computer later!

Re: Talking Point: Why Are Fall's Biggest Blockbusters Flopping?

professorhat

I can't speak for the market, but what happened to me was I had a daughter a year ago. 15 to 20 hours of guaranteed gaming a week dropped to practically zero for a long time. Now, I'd love to be playing Watch Dogs 2 (i really liked the first one), but I'm still playing Uncharted 4, Batman Arkham Knight, Eagle Flight on PSVR and I just bought Gravity Rush Remastered in the recent sale as I enjoyed it on the Vita.

There's just too many games, not enough time, and certainly not enough cash to buy everything I'd like to play.

Re: Feature: Happy Tenth Birthday to the PlayStation 3

professorhat

Have had all Playstation consoles from launch day, but the PS3 delay in the UK led me to buy the Xbox 360 in the interim. I really liked certain aspects of Xbox gaming back then - Achievements and Xbox Live were definitely superior to what PS3 and PSN looked like back then.

But as time progressed, I found I was rarely switching the Xbox on, and the PS3 was my console of choice. Competition is key, as it drove Sony to make drastic improvements that led to that. When the announcements for PS4 and Xbox One came out, I knew very early on that PS4 was my choice, and so far, I've not seen anything on Xbox One to convince me otherwise. We'll see what Scorpio brings, but PSVR is yet another big win for me from Sony.

Competition is key - I can't wait to see what Microsoft come up with in the future to try and redress the balance!

Re: Watch Dogs 2's Multiplayer Is Unlikely to Work on Launch Day

professorhat

A sign of the times. And by that, I don't mean broken things being released, I mean a time when the amount of code it takes to make a game (and all other software) is so huge, that major bugs at release are now a fact of life (in many other areas, they have been for a long time - ask your sysop why they're waiting for SP1 or even SP2 of the latest MS product!).

"But test it!" you say. You know what? They did. And didn't pick it up. It happens. "But test it more!" you say. Yeah, they did that too. And didn't pick it up. It happens. No one purposefully releases bad code, no matter what the conspiracy theorists might say. It's just not good for business.

The key difference is, this time Ubisoft are telling people about the issue before purchase. And they'll patch it, and it'll then work. No drama. Good on them. If Multi Player is your be all and end all, cancel your pre-order now folks. Or don't, and wait for the patch. Either way works.

By the way, I don't work for or have any particular love for Ubisoft. I don't even have the game on pre-order. I do occasionally write code though. So I have an inkling of the process and a heathly respect for the guys that do it full time. And I know they really don't deserve all the crap they get every time this happens.

Re: Hardware Review: PS4 Pro - Should You Buy It?

professorhat

Sitting in Cafe Nero waiting to pick up my Pro (trading in the old one through Game's £174.99 offer). I've done it mostly for the potential VR improvements, but my Pioneer TV is over 6 years old now, and when it goes 4k will obviously be on the cards, so it seems a no brainer to me.

Re: Video: Spreading Our Wings with Beautiful PlayStation VR Title Eagle Flight

professorhat

@get2sammyb yes, it's a nice touch, equivalent to driving to the next mission in GTA5 and the like. I often found myself driving around the city for ages before taking on the next mission, and I think the same will be true here as you spot another tunnel through a building that you can't help but swoop through!

@DamienVonOslo it is absolutely fine. They've worked hard on this aspect from what I've read including using a beak on screen to limit it and give you a non moving focal point, plus you get tunnel vision when you speed up, with the outside of the screen fading slightly to black.

Re: Video: Spreading Our Wings with Beautiful PlayStation VR Title Eagle Flight

professorhat

My first major PSVR game purchase tonight, and wow! I already know that VR is the future of gaming, and not just a stunt like 3DTV was - those who think otherwise really need to see it. Is this iteration of PSVR going to change how everyone games? No, of course not. But give it 5 years and you'll see how popular it will have become.

Back on topic, and on an otherwise depressing news day this game bought a big smile to my face, swooping through the buildings of Paris. My regret is at the moment, I have to concentrate a bit too much on where I'm going to avoid crashing, and miss checking out the roaming elephants and giraffes! Hopefully I'll improve my flying skills over the coming days and be able to let my peripheral vision wander.

Looking forward to trying out the multiplayer, as I suspect this will be a wholly more pleasant experience to the likes of COD!

PS - Kudos to the Furtado nod. Might have that as the soundtrack during my next play through

Re: Talking Point: How's Your PlayStation VR Hype Holding Out?

professorhat

Wow. Just wow. I've only had a chance to play a couple of the demos, but this is truly magnificent. Batman is a triumph. It's almost total immersion in the game. At one point, I almost tried to put my controller down on one of the tables in the morgue before I remembered they didn't actually exist.

I can't wait to play more - I haven't even tried Driveclub yet!

Re: PlayStation VR's Demo Disc Kinda Sucks in Europe

professorhat

I see some people are sceptical of this (and making "hilarious" comments about the cost), but the fact is this technology is the future of gaming, and Sony are in from the off, leaving Microsoft to catch up later (which they'll inevitably do just by buying up some small VR company and plunging money into it until it's profitable). I say good luck to them all - competition is good, and I can't wait for my pre-order to arrive in a couple of weeks time

Re: UK Store GAME Will Sell You a PS4 Pro for £174.99

professorhat

@ShogunRok you must understand, as someone who writes on the Internet, you're not allowed to make sarcastic jokes, unless you follow it up with a note to inform everyone of the joke, and how it's funny and that they should laugh (the best way to tell a joke I've always found). Surely you were taught that at Internet Journalism school?!

Re: Hands On: PlayStation VR Continues to Impress in Epic Preview Session

professorhat

I've not tried it, but I'm with Sammy in that even if this version of PSVR doesn't take off, this technology is the future. 3D was a gimmick, but seamless VR is able to provide that full immersive experience we all crave when we want lose ourselves for a short time.

I also think VR "experiences" will be a big thing. Imagine being able to stroll round the Pyramids, or Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, exploring locations around the world from your living room. Could be the perfect way to decide on your next holiday location!

Re: Feature: PlayStation Now Review - The State of Cloud Gaming in 2016

professorhat

Lol! I understand the preference, but I think you get used to it. I always thought I would buy CDs in preference to online music, but once I got used to the convenience of Spotify, i havent bought a CD since. Ditto with Blu-ray and Netflix. If they can make game streaming as easy and ubiquitous as this and things like Netflix, I'll happily trade in my console.

Re: One UK Retailer Will Happily Sell You a PS4 Slim Today

professorhat

@Cron_13 as I say, I don't use auction sites either, but if CeX works for you, then that's good - I guess it must for many people considering how many there are now - I've been to some towns where there are two within a few minutes walking distance!

You're the first person I've ever talked to who actually had something positive to say about them though!

Re: One UK Retailer Will Happily Sell You a PS4 Slim Today

professorhat

@Cron_13 very different experience to me then. I got almost double what CeX offered me from an online game trade in place - no ebay fees or "cretinous little scum bags" (although if you find ebay that bad, just use one of the other online sales sites). I just popped them in the post and 3 or 4 days later the money was in my account and I could use it to buy anything I wanted, not over priced secondhand tat.

Re: Mission Blog: Chapter 1 - Hello, Worlds

professorhat

@Quintumply it was a little frustrating, but it took me much longer as I kept getting distracted by mining gold, analysing the plants and animals (and then feeding them!), finding ruins and monoliths and learning the language etc. etc. So it was still good fun - when you're stuck in one system for that long, you can really explore it and you then realise just how vast the game is.

Plus I also now have recipes for a lot of other things which I'm sure will come in useful down the line

Re: Mission Blog: Chapter 1 - Hello, Worlds

professorhat

Very different to my experience! Having scoured to get all the materials to build my hyper drive, I remembered my preorder gave me a ship with one - doh! It was a nice ship so I switched and sold all the goodies. A warp trip later, I picked up some anti matter to make a warp cell from the space station, refuelled my hyper drive and with a bit more trading I had enough to buy a new ship with 24 slots - wahey!

Except only after I bought it did I realise I no longer had any fuel in my hyper drive, and the space station didn't want to sell me any more anti matter! I was now marooned in the Lando System (as I had named it). After visiting gawd knows how many Manufacturing Facilities on the planets Han, Leia, Chewie and Three (meant to be ThreePeeOh), I finally got the recipe for Antimatter and I was on my way again!