Reviews

Should You Buy ‘Kung-Fu Live?’

by Jan Hutchings | Oct 21, 2011 | 20 comments

MSRP: $14.99

1-Player

With all the industry hulabaloo regarding motion control, specifically the Playstation Move and Microsoft Kinect, gamers have all but forgotten about a little gadget called the Playstation Eye. A camera that tracks player movements like the Kinect, the PS Eye was an underutilized peripheral that went by the wayside a few months after its release.

Enter Kung-Fu Live, the Kinect-like fighting game experience on your PS3.

Kung-Fu Live utilizes the PS Eye to track the player’s movements and translates it onto the screen. It’s also one of the most fun, engaging, and physically demanding motion controlled games on the market today.

Hit the jump to read the full review.

Should You Buy ‘Heavy Rain: Move Edition?’

by Jan Hutchings | Oct 20, 2011 | 28 comments

MSRP: $29.99

1-Player

“How far will you go to stop a serial killer?” – Quantic Dream

Late last year, Roger Ebert exclaimed that games will never be considered art. He had obviously never played Heavy Rain, Quantic Dream’s cinematic yet highly-interactive masterpiece.

I’ve never experienced a game quite like Heavy Rain. Never has a game affected me on an personal/emotional level. The characters are so well-written and well-realized that the player can’t help but care about each of the protagonist’s fates; especially around the end game.

Should You Buy the Sony Bloggie 3D MHS-FS3?

by Sohrab Osati | Aug 10, 2011 | 33 comments

When 3D is brought up in most conversations, whether people are fans of the ever-growing format or not, two things tend to come to mind; the dislike for 3D glasses, and how expensive the technology can be. These two topics have turned into a sticky point for consumers while big companies like Sony are hard at offering 3D in whichever way they can. Currently, Sony Pictures has released 3D films like The Green Hornet, The Smurfs and will be releasing the upcoming The Amazing Spider-Man which has been shot in native 3D. In the meantime, their PlayStation division has an ever-larger list of 3D games with titles like Gran Turismo 5, Killzone 3 and the highly anticipated Uncharted 3. Of course, 3D content is without an avenue to playback the medium and so to address the cost and availability of the format, Sony this fall is releasing a PlayStation branded 3D TV for $499 which includes Resistance 3 (which is 3D compatible) and a pair of 3D glasses. Sony also knows that, in order for the 3D format to advance, they cannot just rely on professional content. No format has ever survived without availability to the everyday consumers, and thats where the Bloggie 3D steps in for Sony.

The Sony Bloggie 3D (MHS-FS3) is designed to break the stigma of 3D and address the two sticking points of 3D. First, the Bloggie 3D, which is capable of recording in both 2D and 3D, is priced at $249 which automatically makes it accessible to a large demography. Second, the Bloggie 3D is capable of playing back 3D footage right on screen without the need of 3D glasses. We’ve long at the site been using the Bloggie Touch as our main source of capturing footage when at an event, seeing that it would only be fair to use the products that we talk about. So two days prior to Comic-Con, we trooped out to our local Best Buy to buy a Bloggie 3D (yes, we have to purchase all of our review products) and put it to the ultimate test. You see, in order for a format like 3D to succeed, it has to be able to form to your current workflow and lifestyle. Sure we can make tweaks here and there but if it requires us to completely change our flow to make it work, then the technology has failed. Comic-Con presented the perfect opportunity, seeing how we were going to cover the event with our Bloggie Touch anyways. The question then was, can we substitute our Bloggie Touch with a Bloggie 3D and still have a successful Comic-Con. Hit the jump for our full review, as well as sample video and photos.

Should You Buy the Sony Bloggie 3D MHS-FS3? (Video)

by Sohrab Osati | Aug 8, 2011 | 25 comments

The Bloggie 3D is an enigma of a product, designed to break all stereotypes of what 3D is and can be. With a $249 MSRP, the Bloggie 3D is in reach of most consumers while also taking away the need for 3D glasses to view its 3D recorded content. After our video unboxing, we put the Bloggie 3D to the test during San Diego Comic-Con 2011 to see how this pocket-sized 3D camera would hold up during the insanity. For those of you who are looking for some reading material, we will have a written review for you in the near future. The following is our Sony Bloggie 3D video review in which we discuss the camera’s hardware, 2D & 3D recording capabilities, as well as the Bloggie’s photo taking capabilities and a final verdict to wrap things up.

Video review, after the jump.

Should You Buy the ‘Sony DPF-D1020 Digital Photo Frame?’ (video)

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 27, 2011 | 17 comments

A little over a week ago, we posted a video unboxing of the Sony DPF-D1020 for Father’s Day and today we will be reviewing the 10.2-inch Sony DPF-D1020 digital photo frame. As we mentioned in our previous post and video, although we had geared our time with it for Father’s Day, the unit itself actually makes a great gift for almost any event. In general, Father’s Day is irrelevant to our findings. Just as a recap, some noteworthy specs include:

10.2-inch Backlight LCD screen.
JPEG, BMP, TIFF and RAW files support
800 x 480 Resolution
2GB of internal storage (roughly 4,000 photos)
Memory Stick Duo or SD card.

Beyond that, the DPF-D1020 hosts some cool features like multiple clock, calendar and picture with clock or calendar views. Mix that with my favorite feature, which enables you to set up some advance on and off time configurations, this 10.2 digital photo frame has earned a spot on our mantle. Beginner users can keep the setting on “Basic Mode” which gives them a simple option which lets them choose which days of the week they would like the unit to turn on. Followed by the same screen, instead this time asking them to select the time they would like their unit to turn off. More advanced users can instead bring up a week view, which further breaks down into hours, allowing you to choose multiple on and off times per day. This makes it perfect if you would like your unit to be, for instance, on during the morning while you are home, off while away, and on again once you are back home.

Review: Sony Memory Stick Pro Duo vs. Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo HX

by Sohrab Osati | May 18, 2011 | 5 comments

Long time readers will note that this is an article that we ran almost a year and a half ago. Seeing how many hits the story still gets, I felt like I should update the article a little and brush up the links.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, holy shit Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo HX is a long name but we move on. My test was a simple one; to use the Cybershot HX5 (one of the best damn pocket sized cameras I’ve ever used) and I wanted to see, if I used a higher speed Memory Stick, would it impact my shooting experience. There have been plenty of scenarios where I’ve been wanting to take a picture but my camera was still processing the past picture which will of course cause you to miss the shot that you wanted to take. Things only gets worse when it’s a lower light situation and you think your camera is done taking the picture in which you move your hand away and in return, cause a blurry picture, seeing how your camera was still processing the shot.

We Put the Sony Bloggie Touch to the Test, All Day At Disneyland

by Sohrab Osati | Apr 11, 2011 | 1 comment

Though product reviews can be informative and a good place to start when you are looking to purchase your next (insert product), I believe that they can only take you so far. As Apple has pointed out time and time again and has focused their iPad 2 marketing based on this concept, product specs can only take you so far. A higher processor speed or megapixel count does not always indicate a better product experience or offering. This was the route that I took with our original Sony Bloggie Touch video review. Though I offered product specs and comparison, my main goal was to take the product out and shoot with it during the day and let you, the readers decide if you liked what you saw. Still, this was a controlled experience and when I saw that I would be heading to Disneyland for the day with our site editor Allegra, I quickly came up with a new scenario to test the Bloggie Touch with. In this video, I wanted to see how the Bloggie Touch would hold up as my only device to document my day at Disneyland by capturing the days videos and photos. Video, after the jump.

Sony Bloggie Touch (MHS-TS20) Review, and Bloggie Touch vs. Flip UltraHD (video)

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 18, 2011 | 41 comments

Over the last several weeks, we’ve had the chance to test out the Sony Bloggie Touch. From our initial unboxing video to see what lay inside of this slick new packaging; to our Sony Bloggie Touch Mac OSX Software review and installation guide video. Everything we had seen from the hardware and software we liked, but anything by itself can shine. So we set out to find out, if the Bloggie Touch would shine, next to the popular Flip UltraHD.

Flip camera’s were really the first into the MP4 camera market and created a phenomenon. Being easy to use and easy on the wallet, these little guys were also known to grab some great footage. I know this because I’ve had one for over a year. The simplicity of this device has made creating videos and uploading them to sites like YouTube and Facebook a breeze. With a hot new market segment, Sony was quick to follow in with the original Bloggie, offering a dizzying array of functionality, specs, while being marred with poor video quality. Sony soon missed what made the Flip so popular, simplicity. Still, this did not detour the electronic giants, sending its engineers back into the lab with a simple motto, simplicity in the outside, state of the art in the inside.

The fact is, when a company like Apple makes a product, they pack cutting edge technology under the hood, but they do it ever so elegantly where anybody can pickup their device and use it. The end user doesn’t care and shouldn’t care about the level of technology under their product. Instead, they should be able to use the product with ease and while getting the best quality out available.

Should You Buy the ‘Quad Charger for PS3 Move?’

by Sohrab Osati | Jan 21, 2011 | 7 comments

A little under two months ago, I did a video review, though in hindsight should have been called overview of the Quad Charger for the PS3 Move. Back then, I was still getting pieces together for my PlayStation Move setup and did not actually own the PlayStation move itself. Fast forward to today, thanks to a wonderful girlfriend and mother, I now own two PlayStation Move Controllers and 2 PlayStation Move Navigation controllers. This presented itself as the perfect time to revisit the old video and do a full review of the product. For those looking to buy one, Amazon has a fantastic price on them. Our video review, after the jump.

PS3 Eye Mounting Clip Unboxing and Video Review

by Sohrab Osati | Nov 17, 2010 | 11 comments

Late last week, I teased you with a picture of our PlayStation Eye Mounting Clip and now, I’ve unboxed it for you and hooked it up to my PlayStation Eye and 60″ Sony SXRD. This mount will work with any Read Projection LCD TV (like what I have) or a Plasma and LCD TV. This mount also works with some of the newer, extra slim televisions that have been surfecing in the last year. You cant get the PS3 Eye Camera Mounting Clip from Amazon for actually only $12.99.

Our Sony Internet TV Blu-ray Player Review and Setup Part 4/4

by Sohrab Osati | Oct 25, 2010 | 2 comments

Part four of our four part series, reviewing the Sony Internet TV Blu-ray Player. Here, we will go over from the basic initial setup, to more in-depth coverage for Tivo and Twitter users. If you’re looking for a shorter, more general review, we have that for you as well. As always, if you have any questions about this device, feel free to comment on here, or check us out on Twitter and Facebook.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

Our Sony Internet TV Blu-ray Player Review and Setup Part 3/4

by Sohrab Osati | Oct 22, 2010 | 8 comments

Part three of our four part series, reviewing the Sony Internet TV Blu-ray Player. Here, we will go over from the basic initial setup, to more in-depth coverage for Tivo and Twitter users. If you’re looking for a shorter, more general review, we have that for you as well. As always, if you have any questions about this device, feel free to comment on here, or check us out on Twitter and Facebook.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

Our Sony Internet TV Blu-ray Player Review and Setup Part 2/4

by Sohrab Osati | Oct 21, 2010 | 6 comments

Part two of our four part series, reviewing the Sony Internet TV Blu-ray Player. Here, we will go over from the basic initial setup, to more in-depth coverage for Tivo and Twitter users. If you’re looking for a shorter, more general review, we have that for you as well. As always, if you have any questions about this device, feel free to comment on here, or check us out on Twitter and Facebook.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

Our Sony Internet TV Blu-ray Player Review and Setup Part 1/4

by Sohrab Osati | Oct 21, 2010 | 2 comments

Part one of our four part series, reviewing the Sony Internet TV Blu-ray Player. Here, we will go over from the basic initial setup, to more in depth coverage for Tivo and Twitter users. If your looking for a shorter, more general review, we have that for you as well. As always, if you have any questions about this device, feel free to comment on here, or check us out on Twitter and Facebook.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

Sony Internet TV Blu-ray Player Unboxing

by Sohrab Osati | Oct 18, 2010 | 13 comments

Here is our un-boxing of the Sony Internet Blu-ray Player (NSZ-GT1) in glorious 720p! Expect a full video review as soon as I finish importing, editing and uploading it.