Android Wear is Flawed and Here's Why

Android Wear is Flawed

Here’s why

     RIP smart watches. The reality is that both iOS’ wear and Android wear operating systems have a core mistake that make us misuse technology, unless we find a real use for the monstrosity we pack in these accessories. We have to rethink the reason we buy smart watches – or ordinary watches - from the very beginning.

they look nice

     This all started when I was giving a speech to new people on what the watch I am using is, since many people are curious about “the mini-phone toy watch” as they call it for having the three buttons and Sony on it, also having no depth unlike real watches. Despite not many people fully understanding it, they have mixed reactions on how useful it will be. I find it very useful because at least I can call and not lose my phone, with my Bluetooth headsets, I can call and do almost everything remotely, and thanks to the updates of the SW2, I can prewrite custom messages in different languages too, and the new watch faces are a lot better in features and customizability.

my watch I've had since launch

    But when I looked at the next generation of watches, and the present one, sure some of them look fantastic, but there are two big mistakes with all the next generation. The first is the insane processing power, and the second is the insane price tag. Read on to know why.



   As I mentioned in the second paragraph, smart watches are not for everyone. Some people find it unnecessary, some people just don’t have arms big enough (it’s true) and some people would rather buy gold or Swiss watch rather than a computerized watch. In fact, even though I am dependent on my watch, I don’t pull it out all the time, and to be honest it sometimes attracts attention when it beeps and shines thanks to the application ( Notification for SW2 ) . And when I call from it/answer a call, people think this is my phone rather than a watch. And when I use it to time someone, or set the timer, people think it is an advanced watch. It does almost everything I need to do while outside except make internet calls. There is no notification I miss, etc.

 variations are unique

    But with the phone disconnected, my options are limited. It is a Bluetooth accessory after all, so I can mainly only open to read texts, use the calculator and all the time apps, etc. Sony limited the options of third party apps to work without the pair. This is because the watch is inferior in processing and memory than all its peers, but with all you see above, does one really need more processing to do this? And when you consider the battery, and the open-source OS that Sony made?



    Android Wear is an OS that requires 4GB memory to exist, and a lot of RAM to run. Does that sound familiar? This is the reason why the price tag will keep it too high to be a popular item, and too low for a luxury item. It is the price of a high-end phone back in the days of 2011-2012. History is repeating itself!

image copyrighted not mine

    One more reason why I do not like the standard Android Wear is that it is also Google, and thanks to Google’s experiments on Google play services, with the introduction of Wear and L developing is made easier on the part of the GUI. Obviously, that is a good thing, but the worst part about this is what I wrote in a previous article that if the Google version of Android is the most dominant then alternate OS and Android Stores will not help this Linux-based OS we all know and love when each takes a different path. Luckily, there are many alternatives, and there are phones that run Android without Google, but how many of us are willing to switch to that? 



    Personally, I am using a different store than the Play Store, and while I can never live without the Google backup services, At least a watch should have reasonable price, a variant OS, and all the features I need. Like the fitness and camera variants, not all watches are suitable for everyone’s needs. So I believe that an OS with minimal hardware requirements is a beneficial OS because it allows the watch to have more important features like battery life and water protection.



   I admit, The LG Watch R looks fantastic, but I am still proud of buying the SW2 and do not believe it is outdated yet. 

Call of Duty Advanced Warfare Theory

Call of Duty Advanced Warfare Theory

    With Sledgehammer’s first Call of Duty development for the next generation of consoles, there is a lot of speculation on what the fourth game mode is beside campaign, multiplayer, and exoskeleton modes. “Fourth game mode” refers to the intense survival with waves of immoral mobs that do not use CoD’s traditional weaponry, Just like Black Ops 2’s Zombie mode and Ghosts’ Extinction. Will there be one?

   Knowing Call of Duty gaming style, the fact that you picked this up to read it means you are that curious, so I’ll keep it short: The mobs of terror in this game will be humanoid beasts that follow the Japanese’s magic-girl robot culture. However since they’ll be humanoid (i.e. flesh limbs) the closest thing they’ll be to current scale is the Final Fantasy XIII’s Ghast:

some old fashioned RPG magic

   Now that you are reading further, here is the proof or evidence that backs the theory. In the Western culture, after zombies and aliens, there’s only vampires, and we all know that for Activision to add vampirism is to spell its doom. It is illogical to even collect this much vampires unless a single bite is fatal, in which they are exactly like zombies in their mechanics.

vampire in skyrim is humanoid

   Magic “robot” is new to the table, plus the baddies will be able to use melee and middle ranged attacks with an endless list of possibilities. So why “robot”? Because this is usually the back story for their origin. A big AI had the power to mutate all humans in a village to turn into magical beasts that follow the robot’s will. They will be armed with a short ranged laser from their stomach and will look ugly. They’ll be slow, having a livelier skin color than zombies, and having extreme lack of recognition skills or morality. They’ll charge right at you with the intent of turning you into roasted robot breakfast.

the father of android

gotta love the standard knightmare frames

  The reason behind these would be the screenshots. They are a little bit futuristic like Halo, but they already covered aliens in the previous game.

  What do you think? Would you believe this theory? I guess we'll find out when the game rolls in. Until Then!

Choose Your Death: The Future of Android

Choose Your Death: The Future of Android

This is the third entry in a series. Read the previous one here.

Is android dead?

   It may not look like it, but android is dying, and we can prevent it. But before we can come to that conclusion, we first need to dive into the history of Android.

   A simple Wikipedia search would tell you the open source software that originated from a camera software, but that is not the history we need to conclude evidence. It's the behind the scenes' little clues that rarely appear to the public. These clues were around us all along.

froyo wasn't good though

    Nowadays whenever you hear android, you hear Google. Google adopted android and created the Play Store. So there is pre-2.2 and post-2.2 for android store. Then the android fragmentation issue starting increasingly spreading, so Google countered that with Google Play services and a bunch of a few more API to help developers reach a wider audience, and save people with old phones from splurging money unlike the iPhone. Now, the Android site has the API for android L and the Wear even before the first android L software is out. 

Good interface, bad intentions

    Looks like Google likes working on an android software, right? Especially since it recently acquired Motorola and all of its future nexus devices and wearables will be on it, it seems like Google wants to continue forever, right?

Just put "phone" in-between the two words

    Wrong. Android was only a platform for Google to test its ground in. Then, after it becomes completely professional at it, it will launch Chrome OS for smartphones and eventually abandon Android, leaving someone else to care for it.

    Actually, the fact that Google wants to impose more Google apps to be built-in to the new android phone is just to have enough test subjects for more statistics and bug-fixing experience. Google is taking it slower than ever though, because it will go on for a longer while.

    These APIs for Google play services are also a test for its own OS, so instead of an android OS upgrade, you get to use Google's code instead. Take good note of this because this is the seed of Chrome OS.

    But so what? Android is open-source, and there are enough developers in the world ready to replace the play store with dozens when Google abandons it.



     Well, what about the hardware manufacturers? Things aren't looking too good for us there either. Samsung, the main competitor against Apple in the western market, is also making its very own operating system: Tizen OS. With Samsung's stunning success to android exclusive updates and having a big global market share, for it to leave the Android market is to leave a real big gap. Luckily, there is no point in worrying about that as there are many other manufacturers that have the potential to adopt devices. I am not talking about Sony, HTC, or all that, but rather any local vendor.

    Honestly though, I am not worried as much in the near future about main supporters of android abandoning it. There are Huawei phones that exist without the Play Store that run android, as well as various Nokia devices. However, the threat is there, and will continue to grow in the next few years, and it will be alarming.

very creative and innovative and artistic logo.

On the other hand, Google is not only gaining benefits from open source then planning to abandon it; the search giant is also trying to take this migration in steps, and ensure developers would want to switch over to Android One, which Google controls. I know it’s tempting as a developer or as a phone manufacturer to switch there, but it’s sad and destructive.

Above all else, remember to choose open source software, because you can. Nobody wants a world where we can’t be programmers or engineers because everything else has been patented or owned by someone else. Especially that software can be owned, patented, and privatized. It’s duplication isn’t always as successful either.

Why Attack on Titan Revolutionised Anime Entirely

Why Attack on Titan Revolutionised Anime Entirely

  You liked it. You watched it twice. You bought the figurines and the manga. You told all your friends about it. You printed the survey corps design on your jumper and wore it every day. Ever stopped to think why this anime held so much of a place in your heart?

   Actually, this anime has not only influenced you, and all of the audience. This anime has potential to shake the entire entertainment industry and bend its rules. Even though it hasn’t yet.

  First off, this anime starts with westernised theme: from clothing to naming, at first glance it seems like a typical anime aimed at audiences outside Japan. But with the introduction of their new mob of zombies, everything takes a whole new level.

   I believe the main thing with Shingeki no Kyojin is that it doesn’t hesitate to kill off a main character even though that may seem less elaborate on the manga, this anime is the only one that I know of so far that has been able to pull that easily and successfully, leaving you to create the emotions yourself rather than having a lot of extended screen time of repeating the same scene over and over to induce the grieving of the characters over one’s death to the viewer.

image from here

  Attack on Titan shamelessly destroys have its cast on each episode in real time. Let’s assume for a moment, that you were in the survey corps during the first unexpected titan attack. That you were one of the people who ran out of supplies and needed to go to the building swarmed by Titans just to get the gas for your escape. Now, Eren, Mikasa, Jean – your classmates, are “main characters” to you, right? That still does not mean that this is the perfect time for flashbacks since someone (your friend who is the center of those flashbacks) is about to die in this episode. During a time where you really needed to stay on high alert for quick reflex actions, it would seem irrational for you to start remembering things (for the sake of the viewer) and what a coincidence it is that Eren got eaten just when you remembered the time when he stepped on your paper boat! Because during the time when a titan is so close to you both, you just had to remember your childhood grudge on the “main character” that was about to die, and realize how foolish that was to not give him his share of cake as a punishment, right? And you didn’t feel any adrenaline rush because the people who made the anime are not ready to give up a main character so easily, no? 

   If this paragraph above really happened, then the fourth wall (you, bonus points if you are a girl with a Roman name) is very distant from the actual real time battle between the survey corps and the titans. Sadly, the assumption above is what happens with most anime, including long ones like Hunter x Hunter 2011, Naruto, Fairy Tail, One Piece, Bleach, Detective Conan, etc. These anime have always been known for success because they do not kill the main cast, and keep increasing and investing emotions into the protagonists’ personality so they’d all look like the role models, idols, and heroes of the viewers. 

   But the viewers can never replace these main characters, or actually be with them in a canonical appearance. However, with Attack on Titan, the characters are actually there, no sudden moments of random emotions flowing, because in real life, nobody is a bland useless high schooler with no dreams (modern day setting anime stereotypes), but at the same time, nobody is a peacock with wings of infinite traits, who grows new traits to match the modern culture. These soldiers are human beings, each have their moments, their weaknesses, like we do. And if you were actually on a rooftop, the only thing you’d see of your friend is his kicking legs as the titan gobbles him up, then your pupil would widen in shock for a millisecond, before another scream behind you makes you look forward and press on with your maneuver gear. That is exactly what every other character does; not because they do not care about their comrade, but because they need to press on right now. The sun is boiling their shoulders with all that leather jacket on, and the air from the titans is just giving their bodies more energy to feel the situation and grieve later than stand there without a scratch nor a bruise.

   Speaking of bruises, they do not roll up their sleeves and raise their arms to show the world that they got hurt while working; since everybody is in the same situation, people change and don’t have to tell the viewer about it. Remember how Reeves was a selfish person but also held his own ideals close and took Levi’s side? The author does not need to explain how people change with every character, like the unexplained reason as to why Annie trained Eren and gave him a chance to learn more about himself. It’s like how an atom will remain an atom regardless of whether you understand it or not. This is how the world works, and how it was portrayed beautifully in Isayama’s work.

   This explanation might make Attack on Titan look realistic i.e. boring. But actually this realism is what puts you before the fourth wall and know more about the characters. Even some soldiers that are weak willed survived so far for a reason. Eren’s life is not only there to fascinate you, but it’s there because he wants to live and fulfill his dream of eliminating the titans.

  So instead of looking at role models, you look at people that you can relate to, and not high schoolers. Simply put, Attack on Titan is brave enough to let go of potentially useful characters and leave you to reflect on it on your own, trusting that you will get the emotions they imply.

   That said, why hasn’t the series influenced new anime yet? Why is the new male stereotyping consistent in new anime and the same boring personalities used over and over? Publishers still doubt that going out of the mainstream style will profit them, so they are waiting to see how many years Attack on Titan will survive. However, I do hope that the manga continues its own and does not fall into fanservice. Even the awesome-looking Tokyo ghoul will not be able to rise as much as Attack on Titan because it relied on using methods of success that are already out there: i.e. fanservice. If Isayama-san really decides to end Attack on Titan quickly, that will kill a great series, but that would protect it from becoming like Case Closed is now.

   Do you agree that Attack on Titan is a game changer? Do you believe that killing the protagonists should be used increasingly in the future? Tell us below, and Play More Zelda!

Where Hyrule Warriors Should Have Been in the Zelda Timeline

Where Hyrule Warriors Should Have Been in the Zelda Timeline

   Personally, I am convinced that Hyrule Warriors should be after Skyward Sword. The problem with this that there is not enough in-game proof.

   The main reason for this suggestion is that Skyward Sword is the only time when Hyrule itself does not have Zelda as its princess, i.e. the kingdom is not actually established yet. During Skyward Sword’s events, Zelda is a student in the knight academy, which means, she is training to fight. Let’s say after the events of the game, humans descend to Earth and make Hyrule Kingdom, just as the timeline says.

   When any kingdom is first formed, the king usually claims his land by conquering it, like a general of war kind of king. That would explain why Zelda is a PC like Link. That is what makes me believe that Hyrule Warriors is after Skyward Sword by quite a while.

   Another piece of evidence is this Link’s resemblance to Link in SS prequel manga. Link has a new look in every game, but Link usually looks similar to his image of hero at that time. At first, I thought it would mean that this game is way before Skyward Sword itself when they used to live on the ground normally, but Hyrule’s existence proves otherwise.

  The main problem this theory faces is Midna (also that it’s too short). Just like how the Impa tribe was living on the ground during the time of Skyward Sword, the shadow tribe of Midna’s would also be there, right? What about Midna’s lifespan? What about the events that lead to Majora’s Mask’s escape from that tribe? It’s too much of an assumption. Also, by that point in time, Midna has never met TP Link, so how did she know that she can turn a human into a wolf? Assuming she can, that is.

   As much as I’d like this theory, as much as I’d have to dismiss it. It does explain new Link’s design and the fact that Skyward Sword enemies are there (still no time for them to become extinct yet) but it has its holes.

  This is a part 2 of the previous article, which discusses Hyrule Warriors' location in the timeline if it were canon. Play More Zelda!

Hyrule Warriors Timeline Position

Hyrule Warriors Timeline Placement

Spoiler Warning: Skyward Sword, Ocarina Of Time, and Fire Emblem Awakening are mentioned here. 

   It’s almost time for the first console Zelda game to be released after Hyrule Historia revealed to us the timeline. This game is a collaboration between Techmo Koei and Nintendo, where the games are slightly similar… actually, it’s a lie.

   As you are all aware Keoi’s Dynasty Warriors involves a single man against a ridiculously colossal mob of human enemies, accompanied by other generals of the same caliber. If you’ve never owned a Playstation, but have a 3DS, try Chronicles: Samurai Warriors. It’s the most recent Koei game I’ve played and will base the rest of comparisons on.

   Just from the beginning, it seems that this will be a very unique game. But judging from the screenshots, you’d probably say otherwise. The enemies Link faces are all demons, no humans here, but these demons are personified to have emotions like fear and retreat, as mentioned before. 

does this look like the face of mercy? I know it doesn't make sense.

   However, from just scratching the surface, what about the generals of the same caliber? The uniquely cool playable characters fill that role, right? Does that mean that these characters were, say, candidates for becoming the hero of time and bearing the triforce of Courage? At this late stage you’d think possibly not, but do not rule it out. Especially since Skyward Sword reveals that Zelda is Hylia. So it is possible that this Zelda chose all these as candidates. Because both Link and Zelda look like “fighters” such as the tactician of CSW. Which automatically means all other PCs have something special to be added. This is a very special roster, and their back stories have to be satisfying.

   You probably want to hear where it should land in the timeline, assuming a non-canon Zelda game would land there. Before we can get there, we have to observe all the other obvious differences that Dynasty Warriors and Zelda have, and see what the development teams have stitched those patches with. Only then can the story become clear.

from zeldadungeon

   Post-OoT:
    First in the background of earlier screenshots, it is very clear that there is a castle that looks exactly like Ocarina of Time’s castle, but from Zelda’s character art, it is impossible that OOT’s adult timeline is the setting because during OOT’s lifespan, it is awkward for the princess to do any fighting. Fighting princesses are fantasy in that era. We can clearly lock out the other two timelines because then none of the guards would know Link in the Child Era and the castle would be in ruins in the final branch of the timeline.

   The next obvious think is characters from Twilight Princess are there, so the setting is probably post-TP during the same Link’s lifespan, right? Then where is immediate wolf transformation button? Since this is a non-canon game that probably will make it to the timeline, all of the current Link’s possible powers and tools have to be fully utilized, in order to emphasize on which Link it is. However, this Link has a piece of clothing very similar to the pre-SS manga thus cannot be the same protagonist of TP. If he was, Ordon children would be present, and Ilia too.

   Another hint in TP is that there are reused characters in general. Skull Kid was originally of OoT but even though according to Nintendo hints outside the actual game plot (i.e. through Navi text and manga) that this is the exact same Skull Kid since he has a long life span, there is no indication that he truly is since he is greatly retextured.

   In Japanese culture, and throughout the Zelda franchise, people are re-incarnated, which is why Link, Zelda, and Ganon have the same role and similar looks throughout the series. It is highly likely that Agitha is an incarnation too.

   The main hint that we can draw a conclusion that it is likely not before Twilight Princess in any way is Midna. As other rumors speculate, the evil tribe of Majora’s Mask is the same of Midna’s tribe, which means, any sooner than OoT in the timeline and there is a chance that Midna was a human of that tribe at that time. Since this is true, and Midna was not revealed until TP, it is also slightly possible that Twilis have short life spans (though I do not believe it) so it has to be the same Midna.

   A rather paradoxical part that makes it actually not fit in the time line at all is the fact that these are Skyward Sword enemies. However thanks to a hint from Fire Emblem Awakening’s Risen and time hopping theory such a paradox can exist.

   Conclusion: If this game were to fit in the timeline it would be after Twilight Princess, but not during TP Link’s life. Unless it is outside Hyrule or somehow the Twilight Realm’s borders are able to warp the SS enemies that actually are living in a place outside Hyrule at that point in time. There could be a new era between TP and Four Swords Adventures. Play More Zelda!

The new article is almost ready, but doesn’t make any sense, so I decided to go with a Zelda rumor instead. I wish to publish my own story on my blog in parts, but the first few parts of the story have absolutely nothing to do with technology. That’s why I do not write articles. I may decide on publishing it eventually. There is a Facebook Page with more short content sometime, as well as a Portal 2 map.

Why Oculus opened RakNet

Why Oculus opened RakNet

image from digitaltrends

   My predictions were right on the spot, again as expected. Allow me to use this entire paragraph as proving that my fortune-telling skills were right and to celebrate this yet again.

   Now that boasting is over, let’s get right back on topic. Why did Oculus make RakNet open source the moment they bought it? Well, the obvious benefit is encouraging more developers, which would bring indie developers, more attention from developers’ fans and novice developers, and more importantly, modders. These are the groups of the gaming society that usually come first, then gamers come hurrying along, but only a good bunch of them have gathered like bees on nectar.

  Expanding the games library is very crucial step towards actually becoming the new Xbox or DS. Speaking of Xbox, RakNet is also what Sony’s Virtual Reality headset, Project Morpheus uses. Cross-platform online games could become more powerful, more interactive, more always online. This would also mean ease in cross-platform releases, so that Oculus can reach Sony’s fanbase too, since developers will be encouraged to make games for Oculus they’d also be willing to make it compatible with Japan’s dominant gaming console (even if VR doesn’t catch on now, by logic, there is a huge existing dedicated gamers for Sony more than Oculus). Xbox has a lot to catch up on now!

  Here lies a question that only you can answer: can Oculus be trusted? After Facebook bought it, Facebook probably want to expand its test subject base to a group that will not escape so easily. After Facebook’s famous psychology experiment involving two colleges, can we really trust them?

  It is a shame to admit, but we gamers have problems with “escaping” a game, because most people who play games at some point say they use it to escape reality. If you begin to play this virtual reality game, you escape reality even more than just the screen. Even without the screen, gamers can go to extreme levels just to make sure that at the end of the day, they’ll have 4 hours of gameplay uninterrupted, even going into fire to save one’s Xbox. A single player life simulation game can easily let me lose track of time, but multiplayer is worse, because it involves real human rivals for resources.

   Simulations were always used in special training, pilots being one good example to test these equipment, thus assessment criteria was obviously well established a long time before we even heard of virtual reality. Consequently, it will be so easy to test your reactions, train you for more puzzle solving, or just simply make a gigantic maze game that is the exact replica of a lab rat’s and measure the differences in speed of figuring out that you needed to push the ball uphill or something (bonus points for fMRI).

   Even in an MMO, everyone eventually passes by the same quests, and it is easy to draw a pattern in the sequence of these quests, and from them give a conclusion on what kind of test would suit this user more than the next. It would also say a lot about behavior, cleverness (been so long since I used that word) and potentially expose you to be “sold” to other scientists who only want a certain group for testing (e.g. people with higher IQ, people who didn’t flee the first time they entered the boss room, etc.) or more realistic stuff, like whether you are fit in real life, real life depression, age group, smoking, sensitivity to loud sounds (that’s actually a thing) and so on. 

  The best part of this to the scientists is that they can zip through all the legal stuff and test. Gamers are like real prisoners now, because they are actually there in real time, with all external factors excluded. Imagine this: would you look away when you see something twice your size, or did you accidently click on the controller because your brother threw his toy at you? Most probably the former, because your parents won’t even leave you disconnected so much for you to even get that far in the game to become worthy of holding the title of Test Subject in the first place. Unlike social media, logging out is not so simple. There will probably be so much to lose when you do that: hourly events such as Bonus Time in Happy Wars, penalty for death.

I am using the word test subject for a reason!

   These little little candy are what keep us continuing on and on, because in online games, it’s a race, and usually the one with less life wins, gets to spawn kill higher level monsters all the time and boss around a group of midgets to PK anyone who gets close to his hunting grounds. Then when he’s done, he PKKs them and comes back to town as the rich hero of high reputation, and anyone who says the truth are just haters who will be treated like mute criminals forever.

  Other players are aware of that, and won’t give up the race so easily. That’s why they’ll grind and grind in a real time system that would feel like labor and go on for real life days. These people are the most vulnerable to testing, because we all know that even when they realize that the game is messing with them, they are not ready to log off and check the forums, because they are willing to forgive the game for this “bug” and that “glitch” just because he’s grown attached to his new toon and has to make it stronger as soon as possible before surprising others.

   Going back to the original question, will we really trust Oculus after Facebook acquired it? Let us know your opinion in the comments. Don’t forget to read the last choose-your-death article, because there might be more. Play More Zelda!  

Google I/O, what does this mean for 2014?

Google's plans for the future

Google's I/O conference in 2014 rather had a hidden message that was hinted on several times. Google revealed many pleasing OS updates, so let's get to them first.

First, Google started with new changes and additional new software on cars, TV, and wearable devices. Only wearable devices sync directly with the smartphone OS.

 from TechRadar

Android L, or 4.5, is the new operating system from Google, said to be the first to support 64 bit, has much enhanced performance and another great addition is the unified UI that optimizes speed. Google also stressed again on speed of apps, and assured that the new UI has shorter lines of code to use but easier and gives a good result. (That's good because I'm secretly and lazily making an android app and wouldn't bother with the UI)

 really looking like a good watch OS even if not square.

Another OS announced is the Android Wear, the OS for your watch. This OS will, like Google Glass, rely heavily on voice recognition, and prioritizes speed of loading text over complicated swiping techniques. Android Wear so far makes every wearable device before it seem like a slight disappointment, as notifications are not to be seen twice on Wear. Overall, it's simple and looks good, also the defaults don’t look too plain so hopefully developers will use them since they do require much processing from the smartphone side. This would also allow low powered and lower priced smart watches to gain an advantage. As I wrote before, wearable devices market shouldn’t get too shiny, fancy, or expensive.

Google really thought this OS through. There is room for customisation but the defaults are not bad.

From these two paragraphs, there is a lot to be implied on Google's future plans. An operating system optimizing performance and speed left gap for heating, heavy battery usage, and overpowered background processes. Google countered that by having a battery safe mode similar to the one the Samsung innovated to limit the number of apps with high system requirements. But what's the point of having a good processor and not using it?

Clearly, Google no longer wants you to make such an investment in a smartphone. Google plans that you use a tablet instead, so you would never take it outside and worry about the battery. This is a step up for smartphone gaming, but not for smartphones. Google does have a plan that tablets advance faster than phones and get more priority in marketing.

Bitstrip about when gaming catches on to wearable devices

Your phone, on the other hand, will not be ignored. It will turn into a peripheral Bluetooth device to connect to Wear and/or Glass. Google may not be expecting much from Glass, but it is certain of watches and fitness bands to go into style. Then at the end of the day, you go home and sync all your notifications with your tablet again for no reason, and then you charge your phone for another day to use with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth in the street, but you won’t be using your phone for actual applications, just notifications and sync, and call of course. Your tablet will be the real android device to host the heavy applications and games, and with the introduction of phablets thanks to Samsung, why not even call through it? Although that won't be a necessity.



This prediction is backed up by Google's I/O itself, and also by some of their videos on Google developers. Samsung really paved the way for them on Wear, and their unique UI shares some history with windows phones but without looking plain, dull, or ugly. Material Design and Google Now look really good, and I hope they allow older phones to get the OS minus the hardware. Google is aware of performance = gaming math and even introduced a DIY virtual reality kit for your smartphone, making it appear like they do not plan to let go of smartphones yet.

Overall this is good news and also rather peculiar. I am curious to what the future may hold. However, they aren’t fascinatingly positive. In the end, developers will just make their own UI to be considered innovative and waste a lot of processing power on background processes, and no matter how all the regulations that google does on their Bluetooth connection, battery consumption, etc., all the apps will ignore all that and attempt to suck the life and mobile data of your phone. A better processor gives more room for that too.

This is not the first time I make predictions, and they've also not been wrong before, and this one isn't apparent but backed up by what Google said itself. Do you believe that Google will focus on tablets in the near future? Let us know in the comments. And Play More Zelda!

Choose your death: Google’s WWIII

Choose your death: Google’s WWIII

Google's motto deciphers into the exact opposite

      Google is opening the double doors to Hell, also known to optimists as the Future. Why is that? Sure, there is enough evidence for every other tech company to have the potential to become the next Shinra. However, we cannot live in fantasy forever, and we should update our vision of the future, because the future is shaping right in front of us.

it won't remain an innocent carriage donkey for long

    First, and most apparent, the eight robotics that Google purchased by the end of 2013. Why? Google, the dominant search engine that has an open-source smartphone software and can potentially professionalize any computer-related industry, is not trying to make robots replace humans’ jobs. This theory is over-used, and while yes, it is beginning to surface in Japan, might not be as radical and pivotal in hanging the weight of all humanity as military robots might be. People like us don’t even have a say in these things. It’s disgusting as to how our race don’t even learn from our mistakes, we are taught history in school and don’t comprehend the logic that made wars arise. One simple thing we should know is that it’s one person’s discrimination and misunderstanding that led to both World Wars.

   I am not against robots at all: in fact I am very progressive and open-minded, but military robots are a different thing. Usually, I’d fake braveness, but I am not stupid enough to go stand in front of a gundam or a nightmare like Princess Euphemia just because I’d assume the person inside would have any morals left. That is, if there is anyone inside in the first place. See, the biggest problem is, we aren’t going for gundam, but we are going for a group of giant automated arthropod-like buggies that can aim and shoot all on their own, not without connecting to your smartphone and auto targeting based on what your brain is looking at, that don’t require a person inside to operate. That’s the biggest mistake right there. No, I will not go and explain how robots might have a mind of their own because that’s far-fetched, but I am saying that even when obeying orders, military robots are just what they are: mass-murdering machines.

at least this one has a human inside, for now. The reason why I think that they'll be automated is because of artificial intelligence and genetic engineering. Anything is possible, and what made the leap in our current day technology is the WWII, as necessity is the mother of invention.

Despite what she looks like now, she's actually a good character... I understand if you never believe me again though.

     Now, why copying insects, arachnids, and myriapods will be all the rage in the future? Simple: Boston Dynamics is copying mammalians right now but what is the most dominant class on the planet? Insects. These not always detritivores are very successful in a countless number of features, but they are often joined with other arthropods in their detritophage niche. In our case, robots never feed, and insects never had shortage of food as a problem, and being the most successful beings they are, I don’t see why aliens would talk to us rather than talk to the real ones governing the planet.

arachnid, but all the same.

      But most insects are herbivores. So there might be shortage of food for them sometimes. That’s why you should take a look at what is happening all around you: metamorphosis. Not only inclusive to insects, this amazing process allows changes in diet, type of locomotion used (Wings!), and etc. Combined with insects’ co-evolution with plants, the future will simply be a lot deadlier if beetles suddenly became titanic and started eating humans. It's like upgrading hardware of you desktop PC, except on a bigger scale.

not a predator.. yet

    But this is not a scientific research on why cats aren’t as cool as bugs, but rather that the way science mimics animals, which are way more successful than us in adaptation just the way they are. Now mirroring them while adding really hard metal alloys and featuring a human size, and then the rest of humanity has but to say its prayers.

worst part of the whole story is, that the idea is already used in real life.

   Just kidding. Or am I? I’ll leave you judge. But it’s not like these 750+ words will change the future anyway. Next thing we should be doing to counter this is building towns that look like anthills or something instead of burying underground to hide from planes (or in our case dragonplanes or aeroflies) or living in giant ships that have the exterior representing other animals. This may seem like rant to you, but after 80 years it might not be so. Until then, Play More Zelda!

ants are chemists!

Here's some non-violence related but potentially creepy robots.
This might be a series. But if you don't like it, at least head by the souvenir freebies before you leave the blog.

Predictions about the new Zelda

Predictions about the new Zelda

  As the new Nintendo direct has said, There is a spin-off called Hyrule Warriors, which is something between Koei's games and the Zelda series. Should the Zelda cycle repeat itself with this one too, or should it be something different?

 

the visual novel-like part of the game does not deprive the
game from its beauty. Captions are still weird.

First off, I'd like to define games like Dynasty Warriors which Techmo Koei could be famous for. To start off, I have seen the game (obviously) but haven't owned it nor played it for that matter, but I do have Chronicles Samurai Warriors, and I am deeply attached to it (but I didn't write a review because I didn't finish it yet) and I can say the game looks from outside like its too simple, but in actuality its quite hard and has complex controls, not to mention that the story is packed and a little more than visual novel games. It feels more overflowing than many Final Fantasy games, and is on par with Fire Emblem Awakening. You will use all of the features of the game at some point and find yourself grinding and repeating levels so many times. But this isn't a review about the game, it's an explanation of what's to come next.

so many special attacks, character customization, buy your own horse, so many ways to increase your capacity of stats, etc

  Setting the plates on the table, it is a spin-off, which means:

• It won't make it to Hyrule Historia
• It won't affect the fanbase
• It won't have a Zelda cycle
• It could have voice acting and different character development.

why does he start with OOT's castle behind him? Is this tower defence? Read on to find out.

And this is where I am excited. I love Koei's logic in making characters, and it will most probably feature that kind of story progression, where Link still won't have a voice, but all the other people would. I am curious in finding out what kind of way the characters will talk, since Chronicles Samurai Warriors does have a lot of Zelda atmosphere to it.
  I also noticed from the video that it could be possible that the Bokoblins could show emotions like fear, bravery, loyalty, encouragement, and retreat; making them more personified. The castle-like stronghold is a location of enemy spawns. Since of course Zelda has dungeons, this means that a reward like a small key could come from capturing a stronghold which can be used to get items, or explore new areas, as the chest-opening scene showed.

such an attack is something that 100% fits both Zelda and Samurai Chronicles

    Another two things that I have noticed are that it's Skyward Sword based, which is epic, and also that the world feels more "free", depending on how you interpret it. Sure, if it's level based, then there is no freedom, but if we think that the students at the Knight Academy of Skyward Sword are actually more useful than just making sure that you don't fall of Skyloft without your Loftwing, then it all adds up. This would mean that the fate of the world is not all resting on one man's shoulder, but instead, on a whole squad that support each other. For example, Pippit can have the gust bellows (since he has to clean his house) and Karane can have an all new weapon, like a flail or a spear, or another Zelda item, just like how the fire staff is a new item. Then we can control more than one character and know more about their personalities. The possibilities are endless, although the video showed soldiers more closely associated with the Ocarina of Time's theme, but that is sure bound to change.

OOT bosses, but even Lizafos and bokoblins aren't from there. Which is why I assume these soldiers will change as they aren't even OOT when my predictions is that they'll match Skyward Sword plus a little more tough demons from further down the timeline by a little bit.

   My predictions is that it would show the after story of how the humans adapted to live on the ground and this army is invading to build their own base, maybe generations later so different Knight Academy students exist but its the same world as Skyward Sword. Or if that sounds too evil, it could be that they have already built their base and then the demons started camping around the human territory (attack on titans?), but that would make most of the levels a form of tower defence. I doubt that Ghirahim, Vaati, or Ganondorf will play a vital role nor that the story will go too deep into the franchise's storyline though.

  same

motion

cycle  

  I know that basing it on one game isn't the most valid thing to do, but it does make more sense that it would match the latest installment from Koei just like it is following the latest Zelda game's formula. Play More Zelda!

Miasma in Gaming

Miasma in Gaming

  Miasma is an idea from old times that is now used in video games. Should we really be playing with the cause of thousands of peoples’ death centuries ago?

  Okay, video games are not real, but miasma briefly is. The definition of miasma is not merely poison gas, nor is its identity some kind of evil aura. Miasma is when science was not so well developed. They didn’t believe in unicellular organisms nor did they understand how to stop contagious diseases from spreading. Not to mention that some symptoms are similar (seriously bacteria why don’t you try to be unique in your symptoms) and I definitely don’t blame the ancestors for this one. So is miasma a group of diseases walking next to each other? Yes. If you have the flu, do you carry a “miasma” that you can infect others with? Yes. Do you usually find miasma near polluted ponds, or other weird places, and it smells sickening? Yes. Can poisonous plants spread a miasma of their own? Yes.

two demons are here, and they're called CO₂ and H₂O

  That is why miasma is polluted air. It usually gives you contagious diseases and is said to poison you. But in Final Fantasy XIII, miasma is a physical attack where its animation looks like breathing onto your face (stop smoking, Varcolaci), which gives you poison, deprotect, deshell, and sometimes even imperil!! Ofcourse, it is available in many other games, but this one calls it “miasma” which is so obvious more than others.

 i totally have no idea why we have miasma in our modern world

  It isn’t a laughable matter. It still happens today, from the car exhausts and factories. Beijing got covered by it this year’s winter. Ofcourse, they call it bad air, but it is miasma, well, kind of. Maybe if we classify types of miasma it wouldn’t be so bad to add them in games.

looking like a bird grants you the following life hacks:

100% prevention from miasma

                                                                         invincibility

immortality

  So, let’s keep our planet green and encourage others to stop smoking. That, and wear a mask when you are sick or AT LEAST cover your mouth and nose when sneezing. It may sound too idealistic, but we should learn a few things from our ancestors, and video games, because if one isn’t main stream then the latter is. Play More Zelda; it starts in Kokiri forest.

sandstorms in Kuwait. image from here