Lost Media – Halo 2’s E3 2003 Introduction Video January 16, 2024
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Maniac attended his first E3 in 2003, and it was at the time 3 of the best days of his life where he created memories he will forever cherish. However, a major memory of the event has never been reuploaded in the past 20 years (in its entirety). Most people are aware that Halo 2 showed its first gameplay preview at E3 2003, over a year before the game launched, and drew tremendous crowds. That footage has been archived. However, before the preview officially began, E3’s onsite attendees were presented a brief video preshow, with full professional production value, starring Sgt Johnson. That footage is briefly captured in Halo 2’s official making of documentary, and a few offscreen versions of it have found their way online, but to this day the raw video footage not been archived or re-released in its entirety. Well, Maniac remembers it, and he found a part of it in a very unlikely place. So sit back, and enjoy two frames of something next to nobody has seen in 20 years.
Halo 2 is out now for the Xbox and PC.
The Newest Mythical Pokemon Is Revealed January 15, 2024
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Since the first Pokémon games were released, there were always some exclusive Pokémon you would only be able to obtain through special events. These are known as the Mythical Pokémon and most famous example of this is Mew. Earlier today, this trailer was released to reveal the newest Mythical Pokémon!
Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet are out now for the Nintendo Switch.
Grounded II – Behind the Scenes of The Last of Us Part II Trailer January 13, 2024
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I have always loved in-depth documentaries about the making of video games and to this date can list several of the best documentaries on the subject, with The Making of Halo 2 remaining my personal benchmark for the subject matter. Recently, Naughty Dog, the developers behind The Last of Us, have revealed a new one is coming.
Shortly after the release of The Last of Us, an incredible documentary started production to chronicle the development of its sequel. However, 2020’s world events prevented the documentary from being finished. Now, Naughty Dog has decided to go back to that original footage and release the documentary to celebrate the release of the PS5 remaster of The Last of Us Part II.
Here’s the trailer, enjoy.
The Last of Us Part II Remastered is coming January 19th, 2024 exclusively to the PS5.
Silent Hill: Ascension Returns Jan 22nd January 11, 2024
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After putting a hold on new episodes to accommodate the holiday season, GENVID and Konami have announced Silent Hill: Ascension will be returning to new nightly broadcasts on January 22nd.
Silent Hill: Ascension can be played for free on iOS and Android devices, or on your computer’s web browser. Episodes will premiere live on every weeknight at 9PM.
Apple Vision Pro Release Date January 8, 2024
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Please feel free to cross off the release date field in our What We Know/Don’t Know article we wrote late last week, Apple has announced that the Apple Vision Pro will launch February 2nd, 2024.
Preorders will begin January 19th, 2024 at 5am Pacific Time. When that time comes, it appears you’ll be able to preorder online as well as in-person at an Apple Store. The launch price will still be $3499 US.
We Tested PS5 Storage Upgrades, Here’s What Worked Best January 8, 2024
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If you own a PlayStation 5, you’ve probably noticed that your console only offers around 650GB of usable storage. With games topping out at requiring 100GB of space to install, that internal drive is going to fill up quickly. So what is a gamer that wants to play the newest games to do? They UPGRADE!
At the time of writing, Sony allows two methods of upgrading the PS5’s storage capacity. The first is referred to as the EXTERNAL method, where a USB 3.0 Hard Drive is plugged into one of the PS5’s rear USB ports and formatted for external storage similarly to how external storage worked on the PS4. While you can move PS5 games to your external drive, the PS5 itself cannot play PS5 native games directly off an external drive, only PS4 games. The second is referred to as INTERNAL, where a heatsink-equipped M.2 drive is installed inside of the PS5. This requires opening up the PS5 with a #1 philips head screwdriver, and physically adding the drive to the console’s M.2 socket. That said, you are able to play PS4 and PS5 games from an M.2 drive, provided it meets Sony’s minimum performance ratings.
We attempted both an external solution using the Samsung T7 USB 3.0 drive, and an internal solution the Samsung 980 M.2 drive. Either drive offered 2TB of storage capacity. After EXTENSIVE testing, here’s what our real-world results were.
Apple Vision Pro – What We Know Vs What We Don’t Know January 3, 2024
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Six months ago, Apple announced their next major product will be the Vision Pro, an augmented reality computing device. In case you missed it, or wanted your memory refreshed about the Vision Pro, here’s the initial reveal video.
UPDATE: Apple has made some announcements earlier today. We are updating this list with some new known information. Updates will be emphasized.
UPDATE 2: Apple has made MORE announcements since preorders have begun. We will include those as well.
Since that videos’ release Apple has revealed nothing further about the Vision Pro. Rumors have speculated it could release as soon as the end of the month, but we have no official release date, and as of the time this article is being written, Apple has not done further promotion of the device. In the event the rumors are true and the Vision Pro will launch within the next month, we decided to offer our readers a look into what we currently know and what we currently don’t know about the Vision Pro. This way, consumers will have a better idea about the device, and will hopefully assist in their decision whether or not to purchase one.
What We Know:
Price – $3499US. This was set in stone at announcement.
Hardware – Vision Pro offers two Ultra High Definition (UHD) OLED displays running on an M2 processor promising full 360 degree 3D heads up display with facial, eye and hand tracking. The Vision Pro’s head strap includes two virtual 3D surround over the ear speakers.
Compatibility – Vision Pro is shipping with an internal M2 chip, which in theory is capable of running all programs that support Apple Silicon including apps made for iPhone, iPad and Mac. It will also offer 3D movie playback for supported films and applications. It will run a custom OS capable of running native applications such as Disney+, FaceTime, and Keynote. You will also be able to save and run 3D video files from iPhone 15 Pro to it using AirDrop.
Power – Vision Pro’s battery is (thankfully) external and can be swapped out and replaced with either an alternate battery or an AC adapter.
Bluetooth: It will also support external Bluetooth accessories such as a PS5 controller, wireless keyboard, touchpad or your existing AirPods.
Mac Integration: It can be paired to a Mac computer by simply glancing at its screen, turning the Vision Pro into a virtual external monitor.
What We Don’t Know:
Internal Storage – UPDATE: 256GB stock internal storage. An independent computing device capable of recording video and running independent applications requires internal storage. At this time, Apple has not revealed how much internal storage the Vision Pro will have. We are currently operating under the assumption Apple is only going to offer one model of Vision Pro at launch, and that belief, given its price point, and the fact it is unlikely Vision Pro will be able to expand its memory (as this is something Apple has not allowed for any of their devices for years), the Vision Pro will likely need to offer AN ENORMOUS amount of stock internal storage.
Battery – UPDATE: Around two hours of use on a fully charged single battery. Despite having a modular battery, we still don’t know how long the battery life or charging times for the Vision Pro will be. Apple has confirmed they will sell extra battery packs that can be swapped, giving it some extended battery life on the go, but I do have some concern “hot swapping” the external batteries will shut the Vision Pro off and force it to restart. UPDATE2: Apple will allow charging of Vision Pro while in use, theoretically this could allow hot-swapping of battery.
Applications – Apple promised only a few native applications were coming to Vision Pro during their initial announcement, but since the device was announced, they have offered development tool kits to third-party developers. Currently, Disney+ and ESPN are the only two third-party applications confirmed for Vision Pro, but Apple has confirmed applications you expect on your other Apple Devices such as Music, FaceTime, Keynote, and Mindfulness will be included. UPDATE: You will be able to use native applications including the ones listed above. iPad applications, with the exception of YouTube, Netflix and Spotify will be supported.
Games – The Vision Pro will support the Apple Arcade service, same as it is on existing devices, but we have heard nothing about any third-party games being made natively FOR the Vision Pro. This is a big issue, as 360 VR gaming would be a game changer on this device. I bought a Quest Pro for its compatibility with Quest 2 games, the fact that it plays well with productivity software was a nice bonus. The Vision Pro needs native games if they want to really justify its price. UPDATE: A dinosaur tech demo will be pre installed in all Vision Pro units.
Native Video Content – Disney+ has confirmed 3D movie support will be offered through their application on Disney’s catalog of 3D films. At this time there are no 3D films offered through the Apple TV+ service, but Apple confirmed they will begin selling 3D feature films purchased and rented through their digital marketplace. Personally, I would like to see original 3D films produced for the headset. I have asked around to some filmmaker friends what their opinions would be about making 3D short films for the headset, but no announcements of any independent Vision Pro video content have been made at this time. UPDATE: As listed above, Netflix, Spotify and YouTube will not have Vision Pro compatible applications at launch. Other providers are expected to either launch with a native application, or you will be able to use the iPad application on the Vision Pro. UPDATE 2: You will not need to pay extra to upgrade a previously purchased iTunes movie to watch in 3D if it supports 3D on Vision Pro.
Release Date – UPDATE: February 2nd, 2024. Apple announced the Vision Pro will ship in Early 2024, and heavily hinted about a late January/early February release. At this time, we have had no confirmation of an actual release date, but if Apple treats the Vision Pro similar to an iPhone/iPad release, hopefully we won’t have to wait much longer than a week from its announcement to its launch.
Remedy Thanks The Fans 2023 December 27, 2023
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One of the most outstanding games of 2023 was the multiplatform horror title Alan Wake II. As we go through this holiday season, the game’s developer, Remedy, has this video to share with their fans. Enjoy.
Can’t wait to check out this game’s DLC!
Alan Wake II is out now for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
Memories of Maniac – School Computer Labs December 21, 2023
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Maniac has made it no secret on this website that most of the useful education he received did not come from school, it came from playing video games while he was growing up. That being said, occasionally he would get to interact with a computer while at school, and these experiences were so infrequent as he considers each one to be a groundbreaking event in his life.
So what were early school computer labs like? What computers did he use and what software could he run on them? Watch and find out!
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet DLC Getting Epilogue in January December 20, 2023
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When The Treasure of Area Zero expansion pass was announced for the recent Pokémon games, we were informed that two major gameplay releases would come along with it. To date, both of those updates have been released. However, earlier today, The Pokemon Company released this trailer, promising an EPILOGUE will be coming to the DLC expansion pass in January. Check it out!
Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet are out now for Nintendo Switch.
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