X-Box One & PS4 - A Year Later

November marked the one year anniversary of both of these gaming consoles and it's promise of a new generation of games and technology.  So here are the pros and cons, broken down into 8 separate categories.



Resolution

Commonly referred to as pixelation; Or to the uninitiated it's simply the clarity, sharpness, and overall quality of the image. The Winner in this department is PS4, but by a small margin. When sampling upcoming games like Dragon Age: Inquisition, Battlefield 4, and Watch Dogs. The resolution is slightly higher, but it can only be noticeable realized when viewed on the largest screens possible.
So the edge on graphic horsepower is PS4.





The Menu Screen

Or the more technical term, that I despise - 'User Interface' -   Over the course of the year there has been updates,but the clear winner again is the PS4, it's design is a simple hierarchy with familiar symbols of navigating through the menus, and it's far more  comprehensible.  X-Box One has a periodic table. My home computer is a PC and I'm navigating windows 8.1. so there is no real bias on this review.
The Winner PS4


Controller

Well to start PS4's dual shock controller has improved from the PS3 design. Having the touch-sensitive trackpad, a built-in speaker, and a multi-coloured light bar.  The X-Box One does not have these features,  but what it does have are two things in it's favor which are design and durability.
PS4  controllers have had common problems  with sticky buttons and rubber peeling off the thumb-sticks, while theX-Box One just tend to work and holds comfortably in one's hand.
The Winner X-Box One.


Entertainment

Both consoles have put considerable amount of thought into non gaming entertainment over the past year, that includes TV and music services, and of course Netflix.  The console that edges out the win here is X-Box One by offering a wider range of entertainment apps & services, as well as the ability  to plug your cable or satellite box into the console and thereby using it to control what you want to watch on TV, proving to be more.. the jack of all trades.
The Winner X-Box One


Social, Sharing, and Online

From multi-player gaming & live-streaming game highlights to free games offered to subscribers of X-box One and Playstation Plus.  It is the X-Box One that makes it slightly easier to record, share, and stream gameplay; But its the PS4 that offers a better library of free games with its subscription service.
A Comparable Tie


Price & Popularity

PS4 Sensor

Right from the gate of its release this was X-box One's raging issue with consumer, selling $100 more that the PS4 controller that hit the market at $399.  It wasn't until June, when Microsoft made the underwhelming  Kinect Sensor an optional accessory, and now offering the X-Box One at $399 without its' sensor. Meanwhile Sony Canada raised its prices to$399 to $449 due to our weak dollar.
With PS4 more expensive and recently X-box One getting a $50 price cut in the US.  The overall commanding worldwide sales  still remains with the PS4.
Winner due to Popularity PS4



Voice & Motion Control
Both consoles offer voice & motion control peripherals

Kinect Senor

The $60 Playstation Camera is not really used for much as things sit right now, a couple of games uses simple voice commands. X-box One Kinect sensor has several games built around it, and most of X-box One's functions can be activated with Kinect voice commands. It doesn't always work well.
The Winner X-box One




Games
This is really the category that should have the most baring, for what is the console for than without games. Big gaming franchises appear on both consoles; Truly exceptional exclusive games have been thin on each system thus far. The roll out for next year's titles will play the biggest deciding factor on consoles's overall success.  The big exclusive titles will include Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, The Order: 1886, and Blood-bourne on the PS4.  
Halo 5: Guardians, Quantum Break, and Rise of the Tomb Raider will be on X-box One.
The Winner: You Decide

Films to Launch between 2015 - 2020

What  began as an ambitious  roll out from DC Entertainment & Warner Bros. Studios of releasing 10 blockbuster Films over 5 years; quickly snowballed into every major motion picture company who owned superhero property rights and having their  definitive 5 year plan made public as well.  It was announced in the last week of October of 2014 and ended in early November  of the same year. Thus film scheduled announcements between Disney (Marvel Studios), Fox, Sony, and Time/Warner (DC) was created.

Here is what we the viewing audience can expect by way of highly anticipated 42 Superhero Movies, and over 30 Sequels, Reboots, Spin-Offs, and bestseller adaptations.

2015

January 9th     Taken 3  
           
March 20th     Insurgent

May 1st     Age of Ultron
May13th    Mad Max: Fury Road

June 12th    Jurassic World

July 1st       Terminator Genisys
July 10th     Minons
July 17th     Antman
July 24th     Pixels
July 31st     Mission Impossible: Rouge Nation

Aug 7th      The Fantastic Four
Aug 14th    Man from U.N.C.L.E
Aug 21st     Hitman Agent 47

Sept. 4th     The Transporter: Refueled
Sept. 18th   Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials
Sept. 25th   Hotel Transylvania 2


Oct.  2nd     The Martian
Oct. 16th     Crimson Peak
Oct. 23rd     Burnt

Nov.  6th     Spectre 
Nov.13th     By the Sea
Nov. 20th    Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2
Nov. 27th    Creed

Dec.  4th     Macbeth
Dec. 11th    In the Heart of the Sea
Dec. 18th    Star Wars Episode 7: The Force Awakens
Dec. 23rd    Alvin & the Chipmunks: Road Chip


2016

Jan. 8th          Quentin Tarentino's : The Hateful Eight
Jan. 15th        Ride Along 2
Jan. 22nd       Risen
Jan. 29th        Kung Fu Panda 3

Feb.   5th        Pride and Prejudice & Zombies 
Feb. 12th        Deadpool

March 4th      London Has Fallen
March 18th    Alligent Part One
March 23rd    Batman/Superman: Dawn of Justice


April 29th      Ratchet & Clank Movie

May 6th         Captain America: Civil War
May 27th       Xmen Apocalypse

June   3rd       Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2
June 10th       Now You See Me 2
June 17th       Finding Dory
June 24th       Independence Day: Resurgence

July   1st        The Purge 3
July 15th        Ghostbusters
July 22nd       Star Trek Beyond
July 29th        Jason Bourne

Aug. 5th         Suicide Squad
Aug. 12th       Pete's Dragon
Aug. 19th       Ben Hur
Aug. 26th       Mechanic: Resurrection

Sept. 16th       Blair Witch
Sept. 23rd       Magnificent Seven

Oct.   7th        The Girl on the Train
Oct.  14th       The Accountant
Oct.  21st       Jack Reacher 2
Oct. 28th        Inferno

Nov. 4th        Doctor Strange
Nov. 18th      Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Dec 16th        Rogue One: A Star War's Story
Dec. 23th       Assassin's Creed



2017

Jan. 6th           Underworld: Blood Wars
Jan. 20th         XxX: The Return of Xander Cage
Jan. 27th         Resident Evil: The Final Chapter

Feb. 3rd           Rings

Feb. 10th         Lego: Batman
                        John Wick: Chapter 2

March 3rd        Logan
March 10th      Kong: Skull Island
March 17th      Beauty & the Beast
March 24th      Power Rangers
March 31st      Ghost in the Shell

April 14th        Furious 8

May 5th           Guardians of the Galaxy VOL. 2
May 19th         Alien: Covenant
May 26th         Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

June  2nd        Wonder Woman
June   9th        The Mummy
June 23rd        Transformers: The Last Knight

July 7th           Spider-Man: Home Coming
July 14th         War for the Planet of the Apes
July 21st         Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
July 28th         Atomic Blonde

Aug. 4th          The Dark Tower

Sept.    8th      It
Sept. 22nd      Kingsman: The Golden Circle

Oct.   6th        Blade Runner 2049
Oct. 27th        Jigsaw
Oct. 28th        Amityville: The Awakening

Nov. 3rd         Thor: Ragnarok
Nov. 17th       Justice League
..
Dec.   1st        The Shape of Water
Dec. 15th        Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Dec. 20th        Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
Dec. 22nd       Pitch Perfect 3



2018

Jan.  5th           Insidious: The Last Key
Jan. 26th          Maze Runner: The Death Cure

Feb. 16th         Black Panther
..
March   2nd     Death Wish
March   9th      A Wrinkle in Time
March 16th      Tomb Raider
March 23rd      Pacific Rim: Uprising
March 30th      Acrimony

Apr. 13th         The New Mutants
Apr. 20th         Super Troopers 2

May 4th           Avengers: Infinity War
May 25th         Solo: A Star Wars Story

June  1st          Deadpool 2
June  8th          Ocean's Eight
June 15th        The Incredibles 2
June 22nd       Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
--
July   6th          Ant-Man and the Wasp
July 27th          M:I 6 - Mission Impossible

Aug  3rd          The Predator
Aug 10th          Meg

Sept. 14th        The Equalizer 2
Sept. 21st        Robin Hood

Oct.  5th          Venom
Oct 16th          The Girl in the Spider's Web

Nov. 2nd          X-Men: Dark Phoenix
Nov. 9th           Holmes and Watson
Nov. 16th         Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 2
Nov. 21st         Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-it Ralph 2    

Dec. 21st        Aquaman
Dec. 25th        Mary Poppins

                     
2019

Feb.  8th          Lego Movie 2
Feb. 14th         Gambit 😭

March  1st       How to Train your Dragon 3
March  8th      Captain Marvel
March 22nd    Godzilla: King of the Monsters

April 5th           Shazam

May   1st            Avengers: EndGame
May 17th           John Wick: Chapter 3

June  7th           Charlie's Angels (November)
June 14th          Justice League: Part Two😭
June 21st           Toy Story 4
June 28th          Transformers Movie 7😭

July  5th            Spider-Man: Far from Home
July 12th           Top Gun: Maverick (2020 push)
July 19th           Indiana Jones: Final Chapter😭

Sept.  6th           It: Chapter Two
Sept. 20th          Angry Birds 2

Nov.   8th        James Bond:No time to Die (2020 push)
Nov. 27th           Frozen 2

Dec. 13th          Wonder Woman: 1984 (2020 push)
Dec. 20th          Star Wars: Episode IX


2020
April   3rd           Cyborg 😭
April 10th           Fast & Furious 9

May  9th          Godzilla vs. Kong (November)

June 19th         Green Lantern Corp 😭

Nov. 20th         Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 3 (2021 push)

Dec. 18th          Avatar 2 (2021 push)
Dec. 25th          Sing 2 (2021 push)

Why the sudden explosion?  
Money is the major root of it all, 2014 was well below all expectations and profits dried up in a manner of speaking, when compared to any other year of this decade.  The blame belongs solely on the studio executives for looking too far ahead with Star Wars, Batman/Superman and Avengers. While not giving the audience of today anything to  build towards as a summer blockbuster for the year  of present. It was by February 2014, that those 3 films were announced and all we had to look at was Divergent.

Instead  we got Tammy (starring Melissa McCarthy) for July 4th weekend, and Transformers Age of Extinction as our headlining Summer blockbuster movie, and both were duds. The people around the world and in North America had the World Cup, And studios didn't bother to compete with network television.  The only stellar film that held the box office was rise of the Planet of the Apes, and that was it for 3 months until Mid-August when The Guardians of the Galaxy swooped in and saved the day.

As a result,  to prevent  a drought, a super-saturation of a "sure thing" over 5 years was created.  Myself, as a young boy I wanted to see a Justice League movie or Avengers being made into a movie, and now we are finally getting it.

The audience condition - is that with the money being thrown into producing all these films we the audience will  get quality in both star power and big budget theatrics. Fans are very critical, just ask Halle Berry and her take on Catwoman.
Growing up watching Superstars of Wrestling I always yearned for more than just one hour a week.
Fast forward to present day, and we have over 6 hours a week on network TV and now a 24/7 online Network Service, and a 3 hour show every monday. And the quality is not there;  as a result the subscribers for the online network is well below expectations, and only time will tell over the next 5 years. How anyone will do (Wrestling environment or Motion picture vs streaming vs the audience apetite), but as a fan whose boyhood dreams are being realized.  It is with certainty you have an eager audience, built-in just salivating to watch, but if the quality wavers even by even a margin, it can have a devastating effect on the future of films slated for release.

2020 update.. besides fast and furious 9 slated for a May 2020 release. All other expectations were either pushed further to a 2021 release or have been completely dropped due lack of studio confiedence or poor reception and ticket sales at the box office.

Scarborough Film Festival

Now celebrating its second anniversary, the Scarborough Film Festival, when compared to the Toronto Film Festival; an event that's on Par with many worldly cinema festivals.  Can be said to be a little more intimate amongst its' community.  Giving references to its theatres that are in and around the city of Scarborough; utilizing the untapped hidden resources of this corner of the GTA. 

This year the festival has 30 films being showcased over the course of 6 days.  

From June 3^rd to Jun 8^th, less than a third of the films are local, the remaining films represents 20 different countries.

    The Attraction of this festival, is not only are tickets are readily available with a price range set between $25 to $10 based on ages; or gala event.  But these are quality films, from rising young stars ,directors, and cinematographers.  And the atmosphere has been very relaxed, but still holding its charm of being a spectacle.

Frozen

In a related topic to the Animation theme podcast, I did a month ago

The Disney Film – Frozen, has brought on a resurgence of fascination with ice sculptures. 

Here in Canada we have two big events  Icefest, which is held in Toronto, and Ice Magic – Festival in Banff, Alberta.  But, if you ever have a opportunity to visit Hong Kong; for almost a 3 month period beginning in December and ending sometime in February. A jaw-dropping spectacle of ice sculptures is presented at the Harbin International Ice & Snow Sculpture Festival.



Bringing the topic back to the fascination of Frozen. The recent 2 hour Season Finale of the ABC network Once Upon a Time - revealed they are bringing the Character of Elsa to the series, come this Fall.

Designer Homes

A California Base Company called Proto Homes have created an open concept home that allows your home to grow as your needs and lifestyle evolves.  Whether or not you have children, or should your children reach an age that they need there own space.  Or more importantly if you need to have more space in you living room, den, bedroom, or bathroom.  Proto Homes may be the right solution, even if a person who can’t decide the look of the there home either in the interior or exterior, by its wall color, tiling, window panes, or even height of their ceiling. This is just one of a few companies popping up that are giving homeowners a new perspective on quality living.

Of course like all perks, things cost money, Proto Homes are quick to build and maintenance is very practical in its lay out.  To better explain Epic homes a television show did a feature on the company.

The Wall Street Journal recently released an article on more sophisticated home designs, Proto homes was one of the companies that was referenced.  I was  recently asked why the sudden interest to blog about homes. As a home owner I am content with my current status and home arrangement; the novelty of a Proto home that both I and my circle of friends all share is when you have guests arriving for either a party or some social function in your home, accommodating adequate space, and the avoidance personal objects of being ruined or misplaced is an issue. Immediately you can see how much time and energy is save in recalibrating your house for the event; And to restore it all back to suit your needs once the party ends is the novelty of this particular design.

Star Wars Day

May 4, 2014



Is this day the event will be celebrated - literally worldwide.  It was once coined as 'Luke Skywalker Day', but was quickly diminished by hard pressed fans,   In accordance to a insert in Wikipedia,  The Event was first organized in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in 2011. At the Toronto Underground Cinema Festivities.  This event included a Cosplay contest, an Original Trilogy Trivia Game Show (with celebrity judges), and the web's best tribute films, mash-ups, parodies, and re-mixes on the big screen.


Why the month of May,  fans will know the movie that started it all - Episode 4: The New Hope
Debuted on May 25th, 1977 and became an unprecedented phenomena, with audiences returning back in theatre to watch it again, and again.   It can also be used as a play on words.... May the force be with you.

Samurai: Vedar inspired concept

Though this event is in its infancy,  2014 is the year it makes its official impact on the global stage.
General reason for this belief; To begin, lets start with the most unrelated, Guy Fawkes Day, (Nov. 5); see my blog last year; Its a massive underground event comprised of about a million people in major cities around the world, who march united at a secret time and location; its an event organized by the people.  Star Wars is juggernaut culturally, spiritually, and almost academically in an event that is celebrated nearly year round at parties, conferences, on multi-media platforms, and annual conventions world wide.

The Star Wars universe just got a boost by a force bigger than George Lucas, when it was purchased by Walt Disney, whose recent umbrella of acquisitions like Marvel comics, and Pixar is Safely securing the franchise;  and the model that is  Star Wars for decades to come.  Lucas' Ranch is still  the hot bed for work on the animations and film projects.

In the years ahead we can expect a brand  new trilogy to be rolled out, and the first is to be directed by J.J Abrahams, who is a die hard Star Wars Fan.  Proof is in his movies of Star Trek,  Gene Roddenberry 's vision is space exploration and the relations and conflicts of new civilizations, as well as keeping the core cast members the focal point in that exploration.  Abrahams blew all that away and made the modern movies more reactive and action oriented with a battle or battles on a Star Wars scale, making Star Trek the testing ground on how to design and implement a movie on the level of Star Wars.

As for now, May 4th be with you.