Knack on the PS4

One of the games I recently picked up for the PS4 is Knack. It was developed by the main architect of the PS4 and serves to showcase some of the things you can do with the new console. Unfortunately it has gotten a number of bad reviews as a game. Some say it is a kids game but too difficult for kids to play. Others describe it as tedious.

I have been watching my 17-year-old son play it over the past couple of days and think it is a great game. Yes, the animation is cartoonish and the game seems to keep going and going, but I don't see either of those as negative. I like the artwork as it helps with the escape from reality. I also like that the game isn't over in 2 hours. Unlike most game reviewers who get their games for free, when you pay $65 for a game, you want it to last. Perhaps that is why a lot of gamers disagree with the critics about Knack.

My son is out of school for the Thanksgiving holiday and immediately headed to play Knack after a morning of skiing. When I told him that the game was getting a lot of bad reviews, he couldn't understand why. My son grew up playing Ratchet & Clank but has since grown tired of it. Knack is a great follow-on game for someone a little older. It is definitely worth the price we paid for the game.

Where to Get a PS4 for Christmas

Last night my son wanted to go to Best Buy to do a little Christmas window shopping. I'm not one to pass up the chance to go to the local electronics store and so we made the quick trip. Naturally they were all out of the next-generation game consoles and so I asked when they are getting a new shipment of PS4's. They are getting one today but the store won't put them out until Black Friday. I'm not sure if they will also have XBox One's as I only asked about the PS4. I imagine they will have both machines Friday morning.

Sony has tried to anticipate demand for the PS4 this Christmas season and rumor has it they will be shipping consoles on an almost weekly basis. That means if your favorite store doesn't have a PS4 at the moment, you just need to ask a salesperson when they get their next shipment. Then be sure to be at the store as soon as they restock their shelves.

A lot of my friends know I am in the video game industry and have been asking how to get a PS4 for Christmas and this is the advice I give them. It is just a matter of timing. Chance favors the prepared and so do everything you can to reduce being there at the wrong time.

Broken Electronics

This weeks has been a bad week for electronics in our family. The only problem with owning something is that you get used to it and really hate it when it breaks.

Yesterday I got a call from my son down at college and he was pretty upset. He had been cleaning the screen on his relatively new Sony Xperia Z phone when it cracked right down the middle. When that happens, the touch screen no longer works and the phone is almost useless. He was only able to call me because he has a smart watch linked to his phone and could use the watch to interface with the phone. As long as the number he wants to call is in his phone's address book, he can make calls. He can also receive calls through the watch.

To add insult to injury, the power supply on my son's 40-inch Samsung TV went out on Saturday. There was the Bronco's game on last night that my son's room mates wanted to watch but couldn't because of the broken TV. They were giving him grief over it and my son was pretty bummed. Never mind that the TV was a free gift from someone at work and none of my son's other room mates had a TV.

My wife and I got done consoling my son when my daughter called and complained that her MacBook's charger had died. She is using a room mate's to charge her computer for now. This is the second time her charger has failed.

There are solutions to all of these problems but it is tough to deal with them all at the same time. Furthermore, Three of the major electronics brands are represented in this week's failures. Guess what they all have in common? Every single one of the failed parts was made by the same company in China. We really need to find another source for our electronic products as this is not the first time I have written about Chinese crap failing.

Headed Home

I am at the Haneda airport in Tokyo, Japan waiting to board my plane back to the States. It has been a busy and successful trip but I am glad to be headed home. Now if my flight is on time, I might be able to make my connection from Seattle to Salt Lake City.

This morning I checked the Internet to see if my flight was on time and saw a red warning saying it was 45 minutes delayed. I want to know what algorithm Delta Airlines is using to determine my flight is going to be delayed 18 hours before I board it. I spent the day worrying if I was going to make my connection. I got online and mapped out an alternate itinerary so I could make it home without having to overnight somewhere on the West coast. Then I planned to get to the airport early so I could get the airline to change my itinerary.

I had to leave a celebration dinner early so I could have plenty of time to get to the airport only to discover trains were delayed due to an accident. Rather than take a direct train to the airport, I jumped on another one, made a connection, and got to the airport 20 minutes earlier than if I had waited for the direct train. I got up to the ticket agent and discovered my plane was now on time.

This is one of those times where computers actually complicate our lives. I spent the day wondering if I would make it home as scheduled only to discover that the computer was wrong. Every once and a while they need a little human intervention.

Super Motherload on the PS4

Several years ago my son introduced me to an Adobe Flash game called MotherLoad. It was incredibly addicting and so when I saw that one of the PS4 launch titles was Super Motherload, I wanted to see if it was a similar game. It is and so once I was able to log into the PlayStation Network, I used some free credits to pay for the $15 game.

The idea of the game is to dig holes in a 2-dimensional world. There are some simple physics with digging and you use a helicopter rotor to fly out of your holes. As you dig, you mine minerals. Some pay better than others just like in the real world. The deeper you dig, the more expensive the materials you find as well as more dangerous hazards you encounter. The game is a balance of fixing and gassing up your digging machine while earning money.

Super Motherload has a number of differences with the original Flash game. For instance, you can have up to 4 players at the same time. This is a perfect reason to get a second controller for your PS4. As all of you have to stay in the screen at the same time, one player can't head to the surface while the other continues digging. You have to communicate about when you go back for more gas.

I knew I was headed out of town and so I didn't mind that my son wanted to play the game late Saturday evening. We played until well past midnight and had a great time. Having played the original version of the game, we had a pretty sound strategy for getting rich quick. The game is different enough though that we had to adjust our play somewhat. I have to say that the adjustments contributed to the fun.

We have yet to play the game through to the end but I imagine we will have time during the upcoming Thanksgiving break.

Super Motherload is not a triple-A title on the PS4, nor is it priced like one. If you are looking for a simple video game to play on your PS4 with friends and family over the Holiday season, I would consider buying it.

Failed Automobile Safety Inspection

I am in Tokyo, Japan this week for work and so my weekend was busy running around doing all of those tasks necessary to get ready for my trip. My BMW is up for registration renewal and my front tires were in dire need of replacement. I took it to my local tire shop who also happens to do safety and emissions inspections. Normally I avoid shops that do more than just safety and emissions because they have a vested interest in you failing your safety inspection. It allows them to sell more services. As I was already buying new tires, I figured I had a better chance of getting an objective review of my vehicle. Nope, I was told I needed to replace my front brake pads and rotors. Considering my brake pad sensor had yet to tell me I needed new pads, I question the inspection but am forced to replace them.

It surprised the mechanic when I seemed excited to replace my pads and rotors as I have been looking to get slotted and drilled rotors and was just waiting for them to wear out. I also think it surprised him that I don't let anybody do my brakes as I am perfectly capable of doing them myself. Actually anybody who knows how to change a tire can do their own brake jobs. If your warranty is up or doesn't include brake pads, I highly suggest you take a look at an online video or two and give it a shot yourself. My local O'Reilly auto parts store loans me the specialty tool necessary to spread the brake calipers and so the only costs are the rotors, pads, and brake sensor (not all cars need the sensor).

I drove home from the tire store and immediately logged onto my computer. My rear rotors and pads are fine and so I was concerned about having slotted and drilled rotors in the front but not the rear. A quick Internet search revealed that it was fine. All of the auto parts forums also said there was no advantage to slotted and drilled rotors. In fact I am probably going to run through pads and rotors faster. I reluctantly resigned myself to the fact that I should probably replace my rotors with the same type I am taking off. I was sad as I really was looking forward to having high-performance brakes.

I called both O'Reilly and Autozone auto parts stores that are less than a mile from my house to price things out. Then I did a search on the Internet to see if I could get a better price. Guess what? It turns out you can get a kit that contains slotted and drilled rotors, new high-performance brake pads, and the brake sensor for less money than the least expensive OEM rotors and pads (OEM are what originally came on the car). So I bought the kit and made sure it will be delivered before I get back from Japan.

I have had my BMW since I bought it new in November of 2000 and only have 65,000 miles on the car. In fact, this is the first brake job I have ever had to do on it. I'm going to try out the slotted and drilled rotors to see if there is a difference. If they only last half the time as my last ones, then I will go back to OEM parts in 6 years. That is a long time between brake jobs.

Correction

Wouldn't you know it, I was wrong. Yesterday I said that I couldn't log into the PlayStation Network from my new PlayStation 4. While that was correct earlier in the day, I finished my blog entry and gave it one last shot for the day. I was successfully able to log in and download some of the free PS4 launch games. The games are free to all PlayStation Plus members and since there is a free trial that comes with each new PS4, everyone should take advantage of the free games. Our favorite right now is Resogun. It is reminiscent of the old arcade-style games with much better graphics. I'd write more, but my son and I are having too much fun with our new toy.

PS4 First Impressions

The new PlayStation 4 has some impressive features. It also has some problems. Most of the problems I have encountered are software related and so I know they can be fixed with an update. The biggest problem is that there is an update to begin with. I got wind that the update was going to be huge and so I downloaded it to a memory stick yesterday. Then when I turned on my PS4, I held the on button for 7 seconds and listened for a beep. This put the console in safe mode and allowed me to install the update. Then I could begin playing games. Unfortunately the PlayStation Network is so overwhelmed with people logging in and trying to install the almost 1 GB update that I couldn't download any of the new PS4 games and am stuck playing the only game I purchased on disk so far: Killzone Shadow Fall. Don't worry, I ordered a couple of more games this afternoon.

The first thing I noticed was how superior the graphics are over the PS3. Don't get me wrong, the graphics on the PS3 are incredible. The PS4 is just that much better. We are playing both PS4 and PS3 games this evening and so it is easy to notice how much better the PS4 really is. The PS4 games have intricate detail while the PS3 ones looks plastic and fake.

We also tried to watch some movies on the PS4 today with mixed results. DVD's played just fine. Some Blu-ray disks worked without any problems on the PS4 while others didn't. Speed Racer played flawlessly and I felt it looked better on the PS4. Neither Chasing Mavericks nor Avatar would play. As for 3D Blu-rays, I don't think they are supported yet. The only 3D disk I own is Avatar and I was not even given the option of 2D or 3D, just 2D and that didn't work. No worries though as I still have my 2 PS3 units that play them just fine. I have also not been able to get to the PlayStation Store because of connections problems.

I'm sure it will take a bit to get the kinks worked out of the PS4 and so don't feel bad if you have to wait a bit before you can pick one up. I also talked with the folks at my local Gamestop and Best Buy stores this evening. They are both getting more shipments soon and so you should be able to get one before Christmas if that is what your family wants. The trick to finding one will be to ask the store when the next shipment comes in and being their that day. Otherwise you run the risk of someone else getting your console.

The PS4 is Coming

This Friday the PlayStation 4 will be released. I am a PlayStation fan and so it is hard for me to gauge how big this release is going to be. I am wondering if there will be lines around the block Thursday evening with people waiting for units to go on sale at midnight or if nobody will care. I know large number of consoles have been presold before this weekend and Sony believes they are going to sell 5 million units before the end of March. Will that happen or is Sony as overly optimistic as I am?

Smartphones and tablets have changed the gaming industry. Why tether yourself to your TV when you can take a tablet and go anywhere to play games? I work at a video game company, yet I spend a lot of time playing a simple game on my iPhone. Do consoles gaming systems really matter any more?

I will have my new PlayStation 4 on Friday morning and my 17-year-old son has invited a lot of his buddies over that night to play games at our house. We will set up both of our PlayStation 3 consoles in another room to give others a chance to sample our extensive game library and connect the PS4 to our 60-inch flat screen coupled to our THX certified sound system. We will probably crank up the sub woofer so loud we will need to replace windows Saturday morning. I plan to be a fly on the wall Friday night. Only then will I be able to tell if Sony has a success. Stay tuned.

Obamacare's Epic Fail

I flew back to Salt Lake from Oakland on Friday evening and couldn't help but notice all of the TV's showing President Obama apologizing for people losing benefits because of his affordable care act. Imagine that, a politician not realizing the long-term effects of his legislation. It seems that all of the politicians who were in favor of Obamacare never bothered to read the bill and just passed it because of partisan politics. I guess I'll chalk up reading as another thing the politicians running our country don't know how to do.

Right now I work for a company that provides great health benefits and so I am not one of the many Americans that will find himself "taxed" for not having healthcare once Obamacare goes into effect. I am concerned about the computer system that we Americans spent $400 Million to create though. What did we get for that price tag? A "clunky" system built by Canadians using 10-year-old technology. Now I have nothing against Canada or its citizens. Some of my best friends are technical geniuses and come from our neighbor to the North. They just happen to live in Silicon Valley now and that is where our government should have gone to build our nation's healthcare website.

If you look at the population of the United States, there are currently around 321 Million Americans. If you look at how much traffic popular massive multi-player online (MMO) video games process, it is in the billions of transactions per day. That means that any number of video game companies could build a website to meet the demands of every man, woman, and child pressing the "submit" button within an 8-hour window and still have enough processing power to kill a few monsters. Furthermore these same video game companies could build the entire system for around $10 Million. I think there are a large number of other companies outside the video game industry that could also have solved this problem. How many people do you think visit Google or Yahoo on a daily basis?

Kathleen Sebelius is the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human services and has gone on the record as saying that she is the responsible party for the Obamacare website's dismal failure. If that is the case, why is she still employed?

Printed vs. Online Catalogs

I got a nice 4x4 catalog in the mail today. Normally I would just toss it but today was different. I spent a good part of my morning replacing the starter in the Jeep Cherokee that my oldest son drives. It was a fairly simple and painless task. More importantly, we both felt a huge sense of accomplishment once we were done and the vehicle started right up. After working on the Jeep, it was kind of fun to sit on the couch and just look through the catalog seeing what modifications we can make.

This got me thinking about paper or printed catalogs vs. online shopping sites. The last thing I wanted to do this afternoon was to log onto my computer and browse 4x4 websites. Sitting on the couch doing basically the same thing seemed like an excellent idea though. I had 10 minutes while I was waiting for something and reading the catalog was fun. Ok, I didn't really read the catalog, I just looked at the pictures and pointed out things to my wife that I might want for Christmas.

My 10 minutes with the catalog were up and it was time to head off to my next task for the day and I tossed the catalog in the recycling bin. Why? Well the store that sent me the catalog has an online store. They also have a physical store here in Salt Lake as well as in other cities across the country. If I know what I want to buy, I will just go to the website and order it. If I need something immediately, I will just go to the store and pick it up.

So the question that needs to be answered is if the printed catalog was useful? Yes it was. I now know what products are offered as well as the relative price. Without the paper catalog I would never have known I could get a simple product that turns my trailer hitch into a useful step. Now that is a sweet stocking stuffer. Oh yea, Christmas is coming so be prepared for the annual deluge of paper shopping catalogs.

Sexy Pictures

Last night the local CBS news station ran a story about a girl who took a sexy picture of herself and sent it to a potential boyfriend. Unfortunately things did not work out for this couple and the guy posted the racy photo on a revenge website. Now the girl is afraid of what this is going to do to her online reputation.

If there is one thing that celebrities have taught us it is that embarrassing photos almost always seem to show up on the Internet somewhere. All it takes is a little time. Therefore the best way to make sure sexy pictures of yourself never end up on the Internet is to make sure none get taken. It seems like simple enough advice, but not everyone is listening.

I feel bad for the poor girl in the story and hope that my little posting saves some other innocent person from a similar mistake. Even though you don't plan anyone else to see electronic photos, they have a way of getting online and hurting your important online reputation.