E3 Event

Gamer’s  worldwide rejoice, this week from June 10-15 the E3 expo is currently going on from Los Angeles, California. The biggest announcement to date is the release of the Xbox One X formerly known as Scorpio project. There was also an overflow of announcements from EA sports and the addition of new and improved story line modes from classic games like Madden 18, and follow up with a new career mode in Fifa 17. For Madden this career mode known as “Longshot” is the first ever true to life career mode.

Xbox One X(Picture courtesy of Theverge.com

Today we will talk about the unveiling of the Xbox One X deemed the best console on the planet, was unveiled Saturday at E3 during Microsoft’s showing. The new Xbox comes with a 4K screen resolution, and don’t worry if you don’t have a 4K television Microsoft is still promising better graphics for all! Starting November 7th the One X will retail for $499.00 which is up from the retail price of the Xbox One when it released. While the price is a notch up than the newer PlayStation Pro but it said to be a lot more powerful than it. Microsoft has said it will be “the most powerful console” The Xbox will be the smallest but heaviest Xbox weighing in at 8.4 pounds. Along with the reveal of the system came a boatload of new games that we will be discussing in the upcoming days. Stay tuned as we update the article over the next week at E3. The first game announced alongside the release of the Xbox One X is Forza Motorsport 7, the game will be run in 4K, check out the trailer’s below the article. The next game scheduled to release is Metro Exodus which is scheduled for a 2018 release date. Assassins Creed Origins, which is the prequel to the other Assassins Creed games is scheduled to release along with the Xbox One X. Full list of games (ARK: Survival Evolved Anthem Ashen Assassin’s Creed: Origins Astroneer Black Desert Chess Ultra Code Vein Crackdown 3 Dead Rising 4 Deep Rock Galactic Dishonored 2 Doom Dovetail Games Euro Fishing Dragon Ball Fighter Z Elite Dangerous Everspace Fallout 4 Farming Simulator 17 Final Fantasy XV FIFA 18 For Honor Forza Horizon 3 Forza Motorsport 7 Gears of War 4 Ghost Recon: Wildlands Halo Wars 2 Hitman Homefront: The Revolution Injustice 2 Killer Instinct Killing Floor 2 Life is Strange: Before the Storm, Madden NFL 18, Mantis Burn Racing Metro: Exodus Middle-earth: Shadow of War Minecraft Need For Speed: Payback Ori and the Will of the Wisps Outlast 2 Paladins Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds Portal Knights Raiders of the Broken Planet Resident Evil 7: Biohazard RiME Rocket League Sea of Thieves Slime Rancher State of Decay 2 Super Lucky’s Tale Superhot Tacoma The Artful Escape of Francis Vendetti The Darwin Project The Elder Scrolls Online The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Special Edition The Last Night The Surge The Witcher III: Wild Hunt Titanfall 2 Warhammer: End Times – Vermintide World of Tanks We Happy Few). With a strong selection of games scheduled to release along with the Xbox One X there’s no limit to what the Xbox One X can bring. (Game List courtesy of  WindowsCentral.com).
Next up is our review of what Electronic Arts press conference. They started with their big reveal of their newest game mode for Madden 18, a true to life story mode called longshot that follows the story of  a player who is trying to make it in the NFL but is having a hard time doing so, the players will fight to the top and make it in the highest level of professinal Football. This is similar to the game mode implemented in Fifa 17 last year following the story of Soccer player Alex Hunter. Battlefield 1 will add a Russia themed story line to the game in September. Also announced was new editions of Star Wars Battle Front 2, NBA Live 18, Need for Speed and Fifa 18. Along with returning games EA also set out a new line of games coming this year and next year. Anthem is a brand new series coming from Bioware producers that was described as a Sci-Fi game that follows a freelancer’s in exosuits and fight beats while exploring a new world. Another new game by EA is called A Way Out, it is a co-op gaming experience that challenges you to break out of a prison with a partner. (All trailers to newer games will be below)
Nintendo’s conference at E3 made a lot of people happy with all the new content they were bringing to the table. To start there is a new Kirby game coming to Nintendo Switch in 2018. For fans of Metroid, they are also bringing back it back with Metrioid Prime 4, while Ninetendo is not giving out much info on their games they do have trailers which can be seen below. Yoshi will also not be left out wit a brand new game, coming in 2018 as well. Another big announcement that came from Nintendo’s day at the podium was the combination of Super Mario and Rabbids who will join forces in a game called Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle. The game will see the Rabbids join forces with Mario to take on a team of Rabbids gone bad. That’s not the only new game coming out including our favorite Nintendo Hero, Super Mario Odyssey is scheduled to release as well and it is more of a story line game following Mario around the world.  Nintendo Switch is also set to receive a new Pokemon RPG game!

A Way Out Trailer: https://youtu.be/_ApSmPvxz1o?list=PLLy6qvPKpdlV3OAw00EuZMoYPz4pYuwuN
Anthem Trailer: https://youtu.be/EL5GSfs9fi4
Madden 18 Long Shot Trailer: https://youtu.be/cBZwjP6MpZo?list=PLLy6qvPKpdlV3OAw00EuZMoYPz4pYuwuN
Forza Motersport Trailer: https://youtu.be/Dokpy_KIuyA
Metro Exodus Trailer: https://youtu.be/QEuEOugOXcc
Assassins Creed: https://youtu.be/cUuKIpCM2o0  

Nintendo:
Kirby: https://youtu.be/Cc3PAAije0Y
Metroid Prime 4: https://youtu.be/cCRx81ZMU9I
Yoshi: https://youtu.be/sx_C9jJ0AlA
Mario+Rabbids:Kingdom Battle: https://youtu.be/6zH-Rhdj5Wc
Super Mario Odyssey: https://youtu.be/wGQHQc_3ycE

Google Assistant coming to IOS

Watch out Siri, here comes Google Assistant to take your place! Google announced on Wednesday that they will be bringing their assistant to iPhone’s through a separate app on their store. While the announcement loomed large the features that come with the assistant are rather small, it can only send over messages and play songs from Spotify. Another negative that comes with this is that you’re home button is still programmed to take Siri commands. So while the announcement came in strong at IO17, the resulting product seems to disappoint for IOS based products so seems like Siri still holds her throne.

Dive into virtual reality(Part 2)

Samsung Gear VR headset with over 5 million units sold.

Yesterday we took a look at the capabilities of virtual reality and all of the perks it has. Today we will look at the top virtual reality gear and their capabilities. From Sony to Samsung, virtual reality has taken the world by storm and it can only get better over time with new technology constantly releasing.
    Lets take a look at some of the best headsets available at the moment…
*All Items are covered by CPS Warranty, to purchase visit us at cpscentral.com/
Oculus Rift
Price: $600.00
What does it do?: The Oculus Rift is when of the first major virtual reality  systems to release in association with Facebook. The price starts at 600 dollars but a major add on, The touch motion controller was once  considered an add on but as more games come out for the Oculus the more likely you needed the touch controller to play. With the touch controller you have the ability to pick up objects, move objects and so much more, not buying them would dramatically ruin the virtual reality experience. With a item like the Rift you have access to thousands of experimental projects created by the PC given you tons of options to play with while using the Rift. To connect the Oculus you get a long cable that you plug directly into your PC.  The Rift shows a 1,080-by-1,200 picture resolution to your eyes for a good quality experience. The play space on the Rift is 5×11.

Htc Vive
Price: $800.00
What does it do?: Taking a quick look at the Htc Vive one of it’s major selling points is their compatibility with Steam the online gaming website. The Vive offers over 500 games to work with in virtual reality. To connect the VR you have three wires that connect into your PC and these are put together tight to make it seem like it is one long cord. When it comes to audio any set of headphones are compatible with the Vive. The screen graphics are 2160×1200 on a LED screen. The mapping area for the Vive is 15×15 as well giving you a larger play space than the Rift and Playstation VR. This gives you more space to move around in your own reality while taking on all of those zombies.

Playstation VR
Price: $400.00
What does it do?: At the moment Playstation’s own virtual reality kit is the only console only virtual reality available. The screen graphics run at a 1920×1080 OLED display. With this it is able to handle all 1080p games. There are close to 50 games available right now to work with the Playstation VR. To move around you can use the Dualshock Playstation 4 controller along with the Playstation move controllers that first made their debut with the Playstation 3. To use the headset you have to plug in a cable from the headset to the Playstation 4. You are allowed to use many headphones with this headset but some just do not work with the bulkiness of the headset, so you might have to mix and match before you find the perfect headset or you can feel free to use the free little headphones that come with the gear.

Samsung Gear
Price: 129.99(With controller)
What does it do?: With the Samsung Gear VR  you have over 700 apps to choose from and can play directly from your Samsung phone. The gear comes with a wireless battery powered controller that allows you to move, touch, pickup, shoot and more. With this VR gear the newer your phone the better the experience. Playing with a brand new S8 will give you a much better experience than working with a older Galaxy S6. One perk of working with these headsets is that they are wireless, simply pair your phone with your headset snap it in and you’re off to the races. I would recommend using the gear if you have a newer version of Samsung items.

Google Daydream
Price: $79.99
What does it do:? Get your android phone ready and experience virtual reality. The Google Daydream works with any android operating phone and gives you access to close to 200 apps. The Daydream comes with a small remote control as well that helps you navigate across the world of VR. The remote is connected through Bluetooth and is motion controlled so to race just move it left or right and watch yourself move past the competitors. Google also has a secondary VR item that is much cheaper and is made out of cardboard.. which brings us too our final item

Google Cardboard
Price: $15.00
What does it do: This piece of equipment is really for people looking for a small glimpse into the world of virtual reality. All you need is a piece of cardboard and a couple of glass lenses. The cardboard is available to be created by you with labels from Google on what part goes where. For the cardboard the smaller the phone usually the better the viewing with a small display screen. The Google cardboard is one of the few virtual reality systems that are compatible with android and IOS operating systems. There is around 50 apps that can be used to work with on the cardboard.

To conclude all of these items are in the works and newer systems are to be developed as time goes on. One thing about virtual reality is you have to be careful when playing for long periods of time, if you stay under the glasses for ours at time people are more susceptible to dizziness and their eyes hurting from all the starting. So enjoy these items but do not go overboard.

For all warranties on items visit us at cpscentral.com/
Justin Kushnir is a tech blogger at CPS Central who researches highly enticing tech topics and puts out blog posts every Monday. His post range from Music to gaming to sports and everything in between! Make sure to visit our website every Monday for more posts by Justin. Feel free to share and contact him at jkushnir@cpscentral.com.

Music to our ears?(Spotify, Apple Music or Tidal)

These three are considered giants of the music industry, but which one stands superior to the others?

A study by Edison Research says that Americans listen to up to four hours of audio a day, that’s a lot of time spent listening to music, videos etc. How we stream this audio is a whole different story, Spotify, Apple Music an Tidal are three giants in the music streaming service. As of March 2nd Spotify’s numbers were at an astonishing 50 million subscribers while Apple Music trailed with 20 million as of December and Tidal was far behind with a total of 800,000 subscribers in March of 2016.

Subscription Price and perks

We start with the pricing of these three music services, Apple Music gives two separate plans for Apple Music customers after the initial three month free trial,  there is the individual plan which is $9.99 a month, the student(college) plan for $4.99 a month  and the family sharing plan which is $14.99 a month and can be used for up to six people on an ICloud family sharing program. With an iPhone the perks of Apple Music are Siri can launch any song on your playlist, your iTunes library can integrate with your Apple Music playlist and Beats 1 radio station. This is one of the large perks of Apple Music, many artists that have exclusive deals with the company debut their albums on different radio shows on the station. These include Drake’s recent album More Life premiered first on the station.
Spotify also has multiple plans these include a free plan(none of the other two streaming services mentioned have this option), a $9.99 monthly plan, a $4.99 student subscription plan and a $14.99 family plan. Their monthly, student and  family plan stack up identical to the subscription plans that Apple Music offer but some people can use the app for free. Some perks of Spotify include places you can stream music, such as your PlayStation 4, Amazon Echo and all Smartphones. Spotify also has a free streaming plan where you can view their entire catalog of over 30 million songs. Hi-fi streaming service may also soon be coming to Spotify, which is a higher level of sound quality.
Tidal has two plans to choose from one is the basic $9.99 streaming plan and the other is a $19.99 streaming plan that includes hi-fi sound. Tidal also has some exclusives such as some of Jay-Z’s albums and they were the first to obtain the Prince discography after he passed away and released rapper Future’s Mix-tape. They are also the only company as of this post to offer Hi-Fi Streaming.

How do these companies outdo each other?
Exclusive deals and signing artists have been a long time way of one-upping another service. Apple music had strong pulls such as Taylor Swift, whose entire catalog of albums is Apple Music only with only a couple appearing on Tidal. Spotify is in the dark when it comes to music by Taylor Swift. Some of music industries biggest names such as UMG’s  Lucian Grainge have decided to fight against this practice of offering exclusives to the streaming service. This decision came two days after Blond an album by Frank Ocean was released first exclusively  on Apple Music according to Bob Lefsetz. UMG is the only label at the moment curating a ban on exclusive deals. This was a main way the Apple Music and Tidal were trying to catch on to Spotify and dethrone them as the leader in streaming services but with the ban’s being curated it makes it easier for Spotify to keep it’s ground.

Services offered by each service
Radio: With Spotify when choosing a artists radio you are able to get many songs and artist that relate to that artist or song but not much else except similarities. Tidal gives you realistically the same thing as Spotify with music and artist radio stations. Apple Music is the clear cut leader of the radio battle between the three offering Beats 1 24 hour radio stations with special hosts, new music and more. Apple Music also has non musical radio stations such as BBC, ESPN and NPR, with this large variety of radio stations Apple Music is ahead of the competitors with radio stations for everyone.
Radio Winner: Apple Music
Personal Playlists and Music Discovery: Apple Music has a share and create your own playlist feature which helps share music among friends, it also tailor makes playlist specifically for you with albums that Apple Music feels like you would like to listen to. Tidal also has a create and share playlist feature. Spotify offers a multitude of user generated content and playlists. One of it’s two biggest playlists our new music playlists that come out every Friday and a release radar playlist that debuts all types of new music from artists. This gives user one place to discover all the latest songs. Users are also able to upload their playlists to Spotify for everyone to listen to, these include public playlists and playlists shared among friends. Spotify also allows you to follow your friends and keep tabs on what they are listening to and what they like. Every Monday on Spotify you have a new Discover Weekly playlist that has music tailor made for you, it includes up to two hours of playback with music that you have not listened to before and deep cuts from artists you love. With all these outstanding options Spotify takes a win in Personalizing your music.
Personal Playlist and Music Discovery Winner: Spotify
Usability of Apps and websites: Apple Music has an easy bottom screen with the search tab a library Tab a browse Tab and radio tab. All these features are easily accessible and Apple Music is usable with Siri, just say your command and Siri brings it up. This feature though is exclusive to iPhone only taking away from android users. Tidal has all of the same features to find music through the sidebar on the app with playlists, search bar and a place for your music. Spotify has many sub categories and categories to store music and has a higher output of where it can be streamed then any of the other two. Spotify works with top tech items such as the Google Chromecast, Amazon Echo, and Playstation 4(Covered by Cps Warranties https://www.cpscentral.com/). The Amazon Echo system also responds to commands such as “Alexa play Spotify”. At the end of the day with the easiness to move around the app/website and the amount of music output, Spotify again holds the upper edge against the other two.
Winner in Usability of Apps and websites: Spotify.
With all the different comparisons made one thing is evident and it is that Spotify still reigns supreme over Apple Music and Tidal and without exclusive contracts it should continue to do so.

*All electronic items mentioned in the article are covered by CPS warranties, visit us at https://www.cpscentral.com/ for more details today.

Justin Kushnir is a tech blogger at CPS Central who researches highly enticing tech topics and puts out blog posts every Monday. His post range from Music to gaming to sports and everything in between! Make sure to visit our website every Monday for more posts by Justin.