Why is there still violent Xbox One hate?

The Xbox One had a rocky start. At E3 in 2013, they announced a boatload of mistakes that nobody, including me, wanted. The console also was $100 more than it’s competitor, the Playstation 4. Considering the PS4 technically had better RAM, why would anyone pay for such a failure of a console? Problem is, Microsoft has fixed many of those problems, and PS4 and developed even more problems. I don’t understand why there is still such violent hate against the Xbox One, despite it becoming the better console over time. Want to read all the reasons the Xbox One is now beating the PS4? Keep on reading.

Why Flappy Bird (and clones) are atrocious

In case you’ve been on a space mission for the past few months, you’ve probably heard of the bizarre iPhone app ‘Flappy Bird’. It’s a tiny freebie endless runner, trying to get your horribly-controlled bird through Mario pipe gaps. It’s a simplistic concept, and while I have no problem with simplistic concepts, I have a huge problem with the outrageous publicity it’s gotten. Now, Flappy Bird’s developer (who I have a lot of respect for) pulled the app, which only spiked it’s popularity. But…why? Why is this mindless, poorly constructed app getting more recognition than other apps who deserve the publicity? And why is Flappy Bird, and it’s clones, an atrocity against gaming? Keep reading to see my thoughts.

Forza 5 Review – 6/10 Paint Scratches

I currently own 5 titles for the Xbox One. Two of those have previous-gen quality graphics, and two of those has stylized graphics. Forza 5 is a graphical beast, a near photo-realistic game that is incredibly detailed. The cars are beautiful, the reflect properly, take realistic damage, and are just a blast to drive. That is, if you can control the car. I’m going to be reviewing the realistic racer Forza 5, one of the most advertised launch titles. 

What is Bukkit doing?

In case you’re not familiar with Minecraft servers, it’s a bit of an odd dynamic. In the vast majority of multiplayer games, there are one of two things: dedicated servers, or console-hosted rounds. In Call of Duty (in the past, this is changing now), one of the consoles in the multiplayer lobby would be chosen, based on ping speed, location, and latency. That console would host the match. It puts that particular console under more stress, but it ensures everyone else runs at a faster pace. Or, there are dedicated servers. Built for only that game, they are the fastest and most reliable way to play online. Problem is, dedicated servers aren’t cheap, so services like Xbox Live have to be made to pay for that.

Then there is Minecraft. Since there aren’t rounds or matches, the server has to be online 24/7. Mojang can’t possibly hope to create enough dedicated servers to house them all, and no one wants to sacrifice their computer’s RAM and never reboot it for a console-hosted server. Both of those, interestingly enough, are in the works or are in use, but are not the most popular option. The most popular option is to purchase a server through a hosting service, like MC Pro Hosting or Fragnet. And unless you want a totally vanilla, no plugins, no modifications server, you’ll probably want Bukkit. Bukkit is a free software that allows plugins, modifications, and easy API for developers to use. It’s a super slick piece of software, and is most commonly used by servers. Sure, there’s Tekkit and Feed The Beast, but they are significantly less popular and serve a different purpose.

With the recent release of 1.7.2, Bukkit hasn’t been getting on the development train like most people want them to. In fact, they’re still releasing and working on 1.6.4 versions instead of 1.7.2. Why is that? Keep reading to hear my speculation.

The ominous ‘other’ on a Mac hard drive

Not exactly video games, specifically, but still technologically relevant. I’ve noticed for several days now that my laptop has been extra sluggish. It’s not exactly the latest and greatest, a Macbook Pro from 2009 or 2010 I believe. It’s worked slick so far, accommodating all my needs. But it’s been acting quite a bit slower than usual, and I was wondering why.

When I popped open the ‘about this mac’ file and looked at the storage, I was shocked to see I had 140 gigabytes, which is over half my entire hard drive, of this ominous yellow ‘other’ bar. What could possibly be causing this? Keep reading to see how I figured it out.