Page 3582 – Capsule Computers

PlayStation TV Review

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November 20, 2014

PlayStation TV
Manufacturer: Sony Computer Entertainment
Compatible Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita
Release Date: November 14, 2014
Price: $149.95 – Available Here

Sony are hitting from all angles, expanding the PlayStation Family every which way. The latest brand entry is the PlayStation TV, a micro-console that allows the user to Remote Play titles on another television set, play PlayStation Vita and Mobile titles on the big screen and watch bought/rented TV show and films from PSN. Released exactly a year ago in Japan, it was originally dubbed the PlayStation Vita TV, although if you look at the packaging/marketing materials today, its ability to enable Remote Play for PlayStation 4 titles has become the prime selling point.

First thing you’ll notice is just how tiny this thing is. Its dimensions are 65 x 105 x 13.6mm (length x height x thickness) and it weighs just 110g. The compactness of the package may sound like an absolute positive, but when you consider having it connected via a thick HDMI cable, possibly an Ethernet cable (if you’re connecting straight to your modem/router) and power cable, all of which weigh more than the micro-console itself, just an accidental tug and your PlayStation TV will go careening off your entertainment unit. There’s also a USB slot to sync your Dualshock 4 controller to the system, the same way you would with the PS4. Upon hooking it all up, and getting into the home screen, you’ll recognise the U.I. as being a mirror of its handheld cousin’s. Navigating the menu’s using the controller as opposed to the touch screen of the PS Vita takes very little adapting, so to speak.

With all that said, the PlayStation TV doesn’t yet have the capabilities to run certain apps that the PS Vita does now. That may soon change, as will its inability to use external storage seeing as it boasts a USB slot (wishful thinking?). Playing PS Vita games on the PlayStation TV requires you either insert the game’s PlayStation card as is normal practice, or you can play downloaded titles loaded from its internal 1GB memory or separately purchased memory stick. Some games are not compatible with the micro-console, although most need a simple update at the touch of a button to become compatible. Returning to Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time as an example, the experience was smooth and translated well in the controls department. Relating to the latter point, the touch screen and rear touch pad of the PS Vita can be simulated with the “touch pointer” feature.

However, the experience of Remote Play for PS4 games is not as near-perfect, not by a long shot. The actual process is as quick and simple as doing so with the PS Vita, but with a few downsides, mostly dependent on the strength of your wi-fi connection and/or internet speed. Personally, my router is upstairs, and there are no TV’s in our bedrooms, so plugging the PlayStation TV into the router isn’t really an option. So, in utilising the built-in wi-fi, the signal strength fluctuated, but would fall to the last bar at times, which is disappointing considering other devices in the household don’t have as big an issue. Playing Destiny, there was a noticeable input lag that would render any shooter unplayable by FPS standards; playing games requiring those twitch reactions would be pretty much thrown out the window. The visual quality also suffers, although not to any particularly significant level. It will be interesting to see how the PlayStation TV handles streaming PlayStation Now titles once the service hits Australia.

Ultimately, PlayStation TV is great in concept, but fails to deliver with consistency or the same quality expected from a Sony product. If you’ve wanted to buy a PS Vita for the exclusive games, but are more of a couch player and fear you wouldn’t really use it on the move that often to justify a purchase, the PlayStation TV is your answer. In that respect, it negates the need for a PS Vita. Sony have even thrown in three free game downloads: Worms Revolution Extreme, Velocity Ultra and OlliOlli. As for its Remote Play capabilities, you better have a stellar internet connection to the device and hope that you don’t encounter as much lag as I did. The value of the PlayStation TV will only increase, however, once PS Now launches…as long as streaming doesn’t prove a hard task for the minuscule gadget.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Nokia’s N1 Android Tablet: A Foxconn in Disguise

Rebecca Hurd

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November 20, 2014

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Nokia’s N1 Android Tablet: A Foxconn in Disguise

Nokia shocked everyone the other day at this year’s Slush event when they announced their new product, the N1 Android Tablet. The announcement cams as a surprise as last year Nokia sold its Devices and Services business to Microsoft. Hence it’s no wonder that Nokia has brought in Foxconn to act as a partner in this venture.

Foxconn is well known as the manufacturer of Apple devices, including iPhones and iPads. However all aspects of the product apart from the manufacturing, such as customer support and selling the devices, are handled completely by Apple. For the consumer, Foxconn isn’t part of the picture.

Nokia is taking a completely different approach. The company is only bringing to the project the brand, the Z Launcher interface, the IP and the industrial design. This leaves Foxconn to handle distribution, customer services, sales and manufacturing. While Nokia President Ramzi Haidamus wants to ensure consumers that this doesn’t mean Nokia is “just taking a brand and throwing it over the fence to see which product it sticks to,” it’s hard to imagine it working any other way. Quite simply, due to Nokia’s loss of their Devices and Services business, there has to be a great deal of “throwing over the fence” to make this ambitious project as reality within their set time frame.

This (albeit seemingly one-sided) partnership is set continue further into future, Nokia already making plans to produce smartphones once restrictions from the Microsoft acquisition expire at the end of December 2015.

The Nokia N1 Android Tablet is set to hit the Chinese market and should be available for purchase by Chinese New Year next year. The tablet should next be available in the Russian and European markets. It’s still unclear if it will be available in the US or Australia.

The Crew Road Empire Mobile Game Released

Nathan Farrugia

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November 20, 2014

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The Crew Road Empire Mobile Game Released

The Crew from Ubisoft is launching in just under two weeks time and in preparation for the big day, the mobile development team have released a standalone mobile game titled The Crew Road Empire. This new game is a standalone free to play title inspired by its big console/PC brother, which you can check out our beta impressions of by following the link. This new title is a separate product from the companion app which was talked about when the game was first announced at E3.

The game has been described by Ubisoft as an original mix of fleet management and driving, where players run their own motor club and undertake transportation contracts for cash. Players grow in power by progressively settling new garages in cities across the United States and defining tactics to become the wealthiest Crew in the entire country. The game is now available for free from the App Store both for iPhone and iPad. There currently doesn’t appear to be any plans for an Android release.

Rurouni Kenshin Director to Appear in Melbourne

Sergei Lazarev

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November 20, 2014

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The Japanese Film Festival is in full swing here in Australia, offering cinema goers a huge selection of Japanese movies, both animated and live action, to enjoy during these sweltering months. Additionally, Director Keishi Otomo is making an appearance in Melbourne.

With the samurai epic Rurouni Kenshin trilogy screening during JFF, Director Otomo is holding a Q&A session on Saturday, November 29 at Hoyts Melbourne Central immediately after the movie screening from 1pm.

The Japanese Film Festival has already played in Adelaide, Canberra, Brisbane, Perth and Auckland and is now on in Sydney. Melbourne will be the next host in a week’s time on November 27. For a full list of films, times and locations available visit the official website.

Magic: The Gathering – Holiday Gift Box 2014 Review

Andrew Day

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November 20, 2014

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Magic: The Gathering Holiday Gift Box 2014

Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
Price: $29.99 official site here

The holiday season is once again upon us, and that means Wizards of the Coast have released this year’s Holiday Gift Box. Focusing on the recently released Khans of Tarkir set, the Holiday Gift Box 2014 contains just about everything you could need to get your Magic: The Gathering collection off the ground.

Going on with the Khans of Tarkir theme, this year’s holiday box is decorated in a vibrant red colouring that really makes it stand out. The artwork depicts the Mardu tribe as they prepare for battle on a rocky outcrop. It inspires passion, fire and just all around looks better than last year’s green box.

The contents of the box itself are almost identical to last year’s, but with a Khans spin and includes:

4x Khans of Tarkis Booster Packs
20x Basic Lands (four of each basic land type)
1x Foil, Alternate-Art Promotional Card (Sultai Charm)
1x Storage Box for 2000+ cards
6x Plastic Storage Dividers
1x Sticker Sheet

Let’s talk about the box itself. It is made of a thick cardboard and is not only study, but holds upwards of 2000 unsleeved Magic: The Gathering cards. Like previous boxes, I found this year’s product to hold up to approximately 2300 cards, but doing so made them pressed together in a vice-like manner and it was difficult to take cards out without risking serious damage to the bunch.

My preferred use of this year’s box is to hold my Commander decks. Having purchased one of each of the Commander 2014 decks, they each fit sleeved really nicely into the box, as well as all my tokens, dice and a pad of paper and a pen. To this end, it is exactly what I was looking for in terms of storage and transportation.

The sticker sheet is fun and they can be placed on the dividers in order to separate your cards in practically any way you wish. The stickers cover everything from card colour, set, rarity, mana cost, type, name and even the recently introduced wedge clan names (for the three colour clans present in Khans of Tarkir). Although it is disappointing that Wizards didn’t include the Shard names in addition to the Clan names (Shards being the OTHER three colour combinations that were present in the Shards of Alara block from a few years back)

This year’s included promotional card is the Sultai Charm. I’ll admit, I don’t play in the colours and Sultai charm to me ahs always seemed like the worst of Khans of Tarkir’s five clan-based charms. Nevertheless, the artwork here is really beautiful and the fact that it is in foil is even better. The Sultai symbol on the card really pops and if I was playing the colours, I would definitely prefer those over the original art.

So in total, the Holiday Gift Box 2013 will net you – 81 new Magic: The Gathering cards, a thick and study storage box for almost 2300 cards, plastic dividers to separate your collection, and a sticker sheet to customise them to your liking. The box itself retails at $29.99, which is only $1 more than the current RRP for 4 booster packs (here in Australia, anyway). At time of writing, the alternate-art Sultai Charm is selling online for approximately $4, so really you are getting the storage box, and 20 basic land cards and potentially making a bit of a profit just by purchasing them this way.

I mentioned this last year too, but the best thing about the Holiday Box is that it doesn’t discriminate. Anybody, no matter if they are pro tour veterans or brand new to the game, they can get enjoyment out of the product. The box is great for storage and the four booster packs are nothing to scoff at either. While it is almost the complete package as far as Magic products come, I still would love to see the inclusion of a d20 dice for keeping track of life totals.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Magic: The Gathering – Built From Scratch Review

Andrew Day

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November 20, 2014

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Magic: The Gathering – Built From Scratch Review

Magic: The Gathering Built From Scratch Commander Deck

Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
Price: $44.99 official site here

Magic: The Gathering’s Commander format (also known as EDH) has blown up massively in the last few years. Taking the core rules of Magic, and slightly tweaking the rules really opens up the game to a whole world of deck types, crazy combos and otherwise useless cards seeing a tonne of play. However, Commander can be very daunting to get into, especially since they require a 100 card deck, so Wizards have constructed some of their own to get new players in on the action.

A quick general summary of the Commander 2014 decks: They are pre-built 100 card decks for use in the Commander format. They come included with 3 potential commanders, one of which is picked at the start of the game and placed in the Commander Zone, while the other two are shuffled in with the other 97 cards. The Commander can be cast during your turn from the Commander Zone, and when it is destroyed, returns to the Commander Zone to be played again (every time it is cast this way, it costs an additional 2 mana).

NOTE: When it comes to Magic: The Gathering, I primarily play Standard and Limited formats, so I am not as fully versed at the intricacies and nuances of Commander as some other players. If you disagree with anything I say in this review, please let me know in the comments below.

This year, Wizards wanted to really change up the commander formula by introducing five brand new Planeswalker cards (many of whom were taken from characters in Magic’s past) and giving them the ability of “This card can be used as your commander.” It made some people furious, others joyous (I sit squarely in the latter column) but one thing’s for certain – they are a heck of a lot of fun.

Built from Scratch is a red deck with a strong, STRONG artifact theme. The Planeswalker in charge of this deck is Daretti, Scrap Savant. Let’s take a look at him now:

So… Holy crap. That was literally what I said to myself when this guy was announced. He is an absolute BEAST. At 4 mana he is the cheapest of the five Planeswalker-Commanders, and his first ability gives Red the ability to draw cards! For those of you newer to the game, Red’s card draw ability is… well it isn’t very strong. Not only can you cycle unwanted cards in your hand for 0, 1 or 2 new ones from the top of your deck, but you can toss artifacts into your graveyard so that you can cheat them out later for close to nothing.

Speaking of cheating artifacts into play, Daretti himself can do it! No longer need that Fire Diamond on the field? Sacrifice it and bring our the Wurmcoil Engine you discarded last turn! The possibilities are endless and we haven’t even gotten to his ultimate yet!

So… yeah… Whenever an artifact enters the graveyard from your battlefield you get it back at the end of the turn… AWESOME! The deck is filled with sacrifice effects so you can absolutely abuse this. Summon Bosh, Iron Golem and sacrifice your big artifacts only to have them come back at the end of the turn. Again Wurmcoil Engine is a really easy card to abuse this with. The deck also includes a new creature card; Feldon of the Third Path, which as you can see below also really makes it easy to abuse creatures:

Feldon lets you bring back an artifact clone of any creature in your graveyard until the end of turn. However, unlike similar spells and abilities, the creature in your grave isn’t exiles so you can repeat the process every turn! Basically any card that has an “enters the battlefield,” or “leaves the battlefield” ability can become absolutely broken when used with Feldon, and best of all if you really want to use him as your commander you CAN.

Since this is an artifact deck, it is incredibly synergistic. While the blue deck revolves around making giant blue fish, and the green deck is about swarming the field, Built From Scratch will have you carefully planning your moves (or more accurately, your STRINGS of moves) for the best result. It is one of the more thought-intensive decks to play and every time I shuffle it up and draw my opening hand of seven, I am wondering how three turns from now is going to look. Since it is very skill-intensive, it can be quite easy to get lost in the motions, so you have to make sure you are on top of your game. At the same time, if you are looking to get into Combo-based Magic, then this is a pretty damn good starting point.

Value-wise, Built From Scratch has some of the more pricey cards of all of this year’s Commander Decks. Wurmcoil Engine, Daretti and Dualcaster Mage are all worth a pretty penny, so you definitely get your money’s worth here. Other cards like Blasphemous Act aren’t worth as much cash, but are stupidly fun to play (wiping an entire 5-player board for 1 mana is ridiculous).

Commander 2014 is a fantastic hit. The Planeswalker commanders, while not in line with the original rules and spirit of the game are a fantastic addition, and Daretti is definitely the powerhouse among them. If you can only get one of each of the five decks then I do suggest this one, but be warned the combo shenanigans can leave your opponents a little less than thrilled with you.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Thimbleweed Park: A New Game From the Creators of Maniac Mansion

Rebecca Hurd

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November 19, 2014

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Thimbleweed Park: A New Game From the Creators of Maniac Mansion

Ron Gilbert and Gary Winnick are the geniuses behind much loved games such as Maniac Mansion and Monkey Island. Now they seem to be taking a journey back into the past (1987 to be more precise) with their new project Thimbleweed Park. This new game promises to “rediscover the charm of the point and click adventure”, and who better than to tackle this agenda than the creators who helped shaped the genre.

But why now? Why such a push back to the retro glory days? Apart from liking pixels “big enough to have their own postcode,” the creators want to return to the “charm and simplicity to the art that lets the game design shine and your imagination run wild.”

If that old ’80s LucasArts charm isn’t enough, the story has it’s own intrigue:

“Thimbleweed Park is the curious story of two washed up detectives called in to investigate a dead body found in the river just outside of town. It’s a game where you switch between five playable characters while uncovering the dark, satirical and bizarre world of Thimbleweed Park.”

On top of this, the game also promises to let players switch between characters at any time, to offer multiple endings and provide plenty of hours of gameplay. Oh, and not to forget some state of the art side scrolling action.

However, no matter how hard we wish it, Thimbleweed Park is not yet a reality. That’s why creators Gilbert and Winnick are looking to Kickstarter to raise $375 000 needed to fund the project. So far, it’s not looking far off. With 29 days still to go, just over a third of the required funds have been raised.

Want to get involved? You can check out a the trailer or donate to the project here. With a champion team leading what promises to become a classic, you’ll definitely want to get involved in making Thimbleweed Park a reality.

Alienware Unveils Christmas Gift Guide

Jamie Laike Tsui

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November 19, 2014

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If you haven’t filled out your wishlist to Santa, then Alienware released a new gift guide that will help! Those looking to bring Steam Big Picture to their living rooms will want to check out the Alienware Alpha Console. One of the earliest Steam Machines from a major manufacturer, the Alpha comes with an Xbox 360 controller and is preloaded with Payday 2, Magicka, Magicka: Dungeons and Daemons DLC and Gauntlet. The Alienware Alpha Console is available for $699 AUD.

For gamers on the go, the Alienware 13 packs an Nvidia 860M with a battery friendly Intel Haswell i5 processor in a package that weighs just a touch over 2kg. The laptop features copper heat sinks and a premium keyboard. Buyers can add a QHD panel or IPS screen for an extra fee. The base configuration start at $1,599 AUD.

Owners of the Alienware 13 looking to squeeze desktop level performance at home should check out the Alienware Graphics Amplifier. The device comes packed a PCI-E video card from either AMD or Nvidia. When plugged into the Alienware 13, the Alienware Graphics Amplifier takes over the video processing duties from the onboard Nvidia 860M chip. The Amplifier features four USB 3.0 ports and starts at $349 AUD.

Finally, those who prefer to keep their gaming at home should consider the Alienware Area-51 desktop. The classic line of gaming desktops that spawned a retail industry of high end gaming rigs has been updated with the latest parts from AMD, Intel, and Nvidia. The most distinct feature is the new triangular case design that provides easy access to all ports and efficient heat dissipation. The desktop come armed with Intel Haswell-E processors and start at $2,999 AUD.

All products can be purchased from from JB HiFi and Alienware Australia’s web store starting November 21.

Netflix Coming Down Under in March 2015

Mateja Simovic

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November 19, 2014

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Fellow citizens of the convict colony rejoice! Netflix is expanding its services to the lucky country. The option to subscribe to the service without MacGyvering around geoblockers is finally becoming a reality for the Australian and New Zealand public.

Basically, non-tech savvy citizens will be able to access the film and television content that the streaming service provides. Unfortunately, the content available to Australian and New Zealand accounts might be significantly different from the content available to individuals in the US. Current exclusivity deals between local content providers and program producers, such as the one between HBO and Foxtel, will place restrictions upon the content which the Netflix service will be able to offer. The service will still be able to provide access to in-house produced shows such as the award-winning American adaption of House of Cards and a new series named Marco Polo which, as you might have guessed, deals with the adventures of the eponymous character.

With Australians having earned the dubious record of the highest number of illegal downloads of shows like Game of Thrones (with the last season finale drawing over 7 million illegal downloads), digital piracy is a common aspect of life in Australia. Many users reason that they wish to avoid dealing with the legal, but less than convenient access by local providers to enjoy their favourite shows. If Netflix is able to provide a cheap and accessible alternative, the dubious days of digital piracy in Oz might be numbered…

The service will be available for subscription across a range of platforms to those with a broadband connection. Additional details regarding pricing, programming, and supported devices will be available in time.

Travel Through Time in Project Almanac

Andrew Day

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November 19, 2014

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project-almenac-poster-02 — **Click to see full sized poster**

Time travel movies are always interesting. It is a very hard genre to get right. Paramount Pictures are stepping into the ring with their upcoming epic; Project Almanac. After discovering the secret to time travel, a group of friends take longer and more adventurous trips back in time in order to better their own lives. With each trip the stakes get higher and the world changes more and more. Eventually, the group must race against not only the past but the future in order to correct their mistakes and put their lives back on track. Doesn’t seem like too bad of a plot, and one that I can definitely see myself kicking back and watching with a bucket of popcorn.

I for one hate wordy synopsis’ for films, so check out the official trailer below. Project Almanac is set for release down under on February 19th, 2015. So make sure you stay tuned to Capsule Computers for all the news and updates about the film as it gets closer to release.