Xbox One X: Project Scorpio Edition

Ok, so we all had a little excitement when E3 17 came around back in June. Well, maybe a little more than a little excitement. But, nonetheless, we got to finally see what Project Scorpio actually looked like. Also, we finally got to hear what Microsoft decided to call the new Xbox One. To be fair, the name “Xbox One X” is a cool name. But, I had wished for something with a little more flare. I also wished for a little more design. But, what we did get is by far very exciting.

It’s now time for that special announcement that came via Xbox at Gamescom. I mostly skipped over it and will watch it more in depth later, but my main focus was the pre-order date. Now I was thinking that the pre-orders would probably start next month at some point. But, that’s when they announced that the pre-orders would start today. Not only that, but they also had a little something else for us. Here, they introduce the very Limited edition Xbox One X: Project Scorpio Edition.

Now, the PS Edition is only slightly different than the regular edition. As a few highlights, Xbox knew how much we loved the name “Project Scorpio”, so to the fans they decided to make a limited edition version. It’s still priced at $499. But this version includes the Project Scorpio logo, a special colored system (Black at top, moving to slight grey on bottom), a vertical stand, 1 month of Game Pass (Xbox’s new game subscription service), premium button layout controller, and a few more items.

As mentioned above, you can see how the color goes from being Black at the top, to a slight grey on the bottom. This is exclusive to the PS Edition. I myself think it’s a pretty decent look, but even if it was pitch black all over it would have been descent as well. The stand that’s barely visible at the bottom is included, but not included in the regular edition. Now I’ve only owned one stand for a console. That stand being the “Vault” for the Xbox 360 S. Which was this stand/case for your system to stand vertical and to protect it.

As far as the box is concerned, a giant X can be found on the front and back. If you don’t remember, that original Xbox had a giant X on the console. Dang I miss that console something awful. A lot of Halo and Halo 2 playing on it, as well as Spy vs Spy. But I think the X gives the box character, also pointing out what started the original design of the first Xbox console and name.

As I mentioned, the logo is strictly for this Edition. As seen on the box, console, and controller, they all have the “Project Scorpio” logo embedded on them in green. Now the new Xbox could have been name “Scorpio” but X does make more sense. Also the premium buttons are visible, nearly the same as my Xbox One Halo 5 edition controller. Except the blue chromed D-pad and grey/blue skin. But, it’s a well designed controller skin and color nonetheless.

Now I could go on and on about what I hate about the name, design, color, and also the fact that we were told that VR or AR would be apart of the new console and how Xbox decided against it and tried to avoid the question when asked at E3 17. But, that was the previous post and I’m not going to get into all that. In the end, the Xbox One X is a decent gaming console. Yes, it has more power than the Sony PS4 Pro which Sony fans say isn’t true, but to the point, it’s a decent console. It has a few games made for it that I’m interested to try out when they are released and some older games that are getting the 4k update like Halo 5.

For the same price of the regular you get a few upgrades that the regular edition doesn’t have. This PS Edition is limited and will only be available till it’s all pre-ordered out. But, it it worth it? I say yes, if your a fan or the Project Scorpio name and you like the few extras that come with it then go an ore-order it today. But, it’s the same price, so why not have a very limited edition of the new console for the same price?

With that, I haven’t decided if I want it yet. I’ve been moving more and more to the PC side of Gaming and love the keyboard and mouse. But than again, it would be nice to have the new Xbox for 4k. That’s the only great thing about it since VR got booted. If you want 4k then definitely buy the console, if you can live without it for another year or two when the new Xbox comes out then wait. But, as always, decisions decisions.

VR Not Coming To Xbox One X?

After the Xbox E3 briefing concluded I couldn’t help that I felt like it was missing something. That something being VR. Microsoft has teased that Project Scorpio (Xbox One X) would be getting VR support, but didn’t detail any kind of information as to How we would get VR as far as who is making the headset. Of course I was excited for this as its one of the main reasons I wanted to get the Xbox One X.

     With VR really making a big mark in the gaming industry, there isn’t a reason why Xbox would skip out on it, or is there? There have been many reports questioning if due to the relationship between Microsoft and Oculus Rifit that maybe the Rift would be the VR headset. Since Microsofts own Hololens headset isn’t truly ready for the mass public and might not ever be, but this stands to reason why people would speculate that the Oculus Rift would be the designated VR headset for Xbox One X when it launches. 

     Acer is just one of a handful of companies that are apparently building VR headsets for Windows 10. As much as I would have liked to try out the Rift sadly that’s not going to be. As far as Microsoft is concerned, they have decided to ditch VR and go with AR. AR stands for Agumented Reality. For example, in the middle of the living room could be a gigantic sign with today’s weather information on it. You could put a gigantic screen on your wall and watch tv, movies, or play games while still being aware of your surroundings, but having mixed reality. So instead of having a full virtual world, AR gives you a mix of Reality and AR. 

     PlayStation introduced their VR headset last year with a whopping $399 price tag. It’s been getting some great reviews since then. So it comes natural that Xbox would bring their new Windows 10 Headsets to the Xbox One X when they arrive. But according to new reports Microsoft has changed its mind. After teasing the One X would get AR support things have changed it seems. Microsoft has decided not to bring AR to the new console. Microsoft was stated saying that “VR is meant for the PC Gaming, not the console.”

     This is a big turn around. With no VR support the Xbox One X will only be a console that brings you 4k gaming. While I love great visuals, I don’t see how a $500 new 4k console is worth it. The Xbox One S brings 4k bluRay and 4k Netflix. If a 4K system is that big of a deal that your more than likely to buy it. But Microsoft has been falling behind Sony for a while now. The new Xbox was suppose to set that straight. But, the PS4 Pro is $100 cheaper, has 4K gaming, and their own VR headset. Yes, the One X has more power than the PS4 Pro, but I don’t see how it’s going to sell more than the PS4 pro now that VR is off the table for Xbox’s New System. 
     I use to be a PS fan. I’ve owned nearly every system that’s been out from every major gaming platform. But, one day something changed. My PS3 slim just didn’t excite me anymore. So, I ended up switching teams and just spent more time on my 360S than my PS3 S. But, when I look at it, Sony has more exclusives. Better hardware. Better games. Etc. With Xbox play anywhere and more and more main titles going to pc, I don’t see a reason why I should even have my Xbox One anymore. The only reason I have a Xbox is due to Halo. That’s it. I’m more into PC gaming now, and to be honest the PS4 has more games that I would like to play. So, more than likely I will be going back to Sony. I’ve loved Xbox, but over the years I’ve lost interests in them. 

     Now you would spend way more for a PS4 Pro and the VR headset. The PS4 Pro priced at $399 and the Base VR headset priced at $399, this is $600. Not included in the base is the PS motion controls. Which is a mandatory for the full effect of the psVR experience. This bundled with the VR headset, Camera, controls, etc…… This will cost you around $499. So, in the end, your looking at $700 for the PS4 Pro and the complete VR set up. But, even though that’s $200 more than the Xbox One X, it seems worth it. That is if you don’t own a PC Gaming rig with VR capabilitys. 

     Microsoft is riding on the Xbox One X to be a hit, but without VR and some people that don’t have a 4K tv and don’t see the point in spending $500 for a powerful console that’s meant for 4K. The Xbox One X seems like a great console, sadly Microsoft is falling further and further behind. Especially in sales, games, and active users. This could all change when it’s release, but I won’t hold my breath.

Xbox E3 17 Briefing

     Another year, another June, and another Xbox E3. This year has been with a lot of hype, mostly due to Project Scorpio being revealed during the briefing. Now, I do believe that Xbox needed to bring its A game. Sony has had the upper hand and if Microsoft wanted to get on top it would need to wow us with the Scorpio and Exclusive game titles. Coming from a previous PS fan boy I switched to Xbox due to Halo and many other reasons also. But, Sony has had a great few decades. The PS2 was by far my childhood favorite. Then the likes of the PS3, and PS4 introducing themselves. I’ve never played on the PS4, so I can’t say much about it, but the PS3 was the last Sony console I owned before choosing my other gaming console Xbox 360 S as my main system. Yes, I miss the PS, but with the lack of exclusives I’m pondering wether I should go back to the PS or just continue my PC gaming.

     The show started with the debut of the Project Scorpio Reveal. Now I did wish they would have made it look more beefier and sexy, but sadly that wasn’t the case. I do like that style more over the original Xbox One VHS housing. It really reminds me of a squared version of the PS3. Yes, I just said that. The PS3 had the small half inch space at the bottom for USB ports, then the main part would overlap that. But, it has a nice touch to it. As it was told during the briefing, the system is actually the smallest of the Xbox One Family. It also apparently has liquid cooling technology inside as well. Which is usually the case with PC’s and not Consoles. I guess that will help with overheating.

     Project Scorpio is now renamed to Xbox One X. Which sounds like a cool name, but calling it the Xbox One Elite and having the Elite controller packed with it like the XOElite 1tb console to me might have sounded better. The release date is set for November 7th. Which throws out speculation that there were some possible hidden messages that some state was the name and release date. As far as the price goes, I was expecting this console to be $600-$700. That’s a little high, but a premium price is a lot of money. But, it’s price would be the same as when the Xbox One first came out with the Kinect sensor. A modest $499.99. Which in terms makes it still affordable. 
     Now, in terms of if you should buy it or not is up to you. The only advantage you will have is possible faster load times, 4K video, and VR once that becomes available. Even though VR was skipped altogether during the briefing. Of course 4K isn’t going to happen unless you have a 4K tv. But Xbox Head Phil Spencer did say that the console will work with 1080p HDTV’s, but that you would get the best experience with a 4K tv. I personally believe if your not into VR, or 4K than your probably better off with sticking with the Xbox One S.

     While taking a break from the 40 something game previews and 22 exclusives Xbox Head Phil Spencer did want to talk about the Backwards compatibility program. Stating that there are well over 300+ Xbox 360 titles available. As well as that over half the Xbox one owners have bought at least 1 BC title. It’s then that Spencer introduced something new coming to the Backwards Compatibility program later this year. This program was announced by a green blob in the middle of the screen that if you paid attention to would find familiar as the green blob that appeared after you started your Origional Xbox system and then turning into the green X with Xbox underneith it. The entire room started to scream and yell as Phil Spencer introduce Original Xbox games coming to the Backwards Compatibility program. Now I personally wanted to scream myself. There are a lot of Xbox games I loved playing that I would like to play right now. Some people might not remember the game “Spy vs Spy” but my friends and I had a field day with that game. It would be interesting to see it come back. 

Xbox showed of a lot of interesting games. Including, 
Forza Motorsport 7

Sea of thieves

Assasins Creed Origins

State of Decay 2

The Darwin Project

Crackdown 3

Ori and the will of the wisps

Anthem

     There were a lot of games showed, more cartoon than heavy shooters. But even the indie games seems pretty cool as far as story and game play. As I mention before VR wasn’t talked about during the briefing. Either Xbox will announce that later this year or wait till E3 next year. Also shown was Minecraft. The update graphics for the One X and that there will be cross platform play with any console and many servers. But, I felt like something was missing. Something that I would think would be launched with The Xbox One X this fall which brings me to my next head line. 

     No one can say that Halo hasn’t been around for a very long time. It was released nearly 16 years ago in November. Let’s do a little break down of the major titles and some sub titles for each console

Xbox – Halo/Halo 2

Xbox 360 – Halo 3/Halo Wars/ Halo 3 ODST/Halo FoR/Halo 4

Xbox One – Master Chief Collection/Halo 5/ Halo Wars 2

     With this you can tell that Xbox one has the most Halo games. Now if we go by release then The 360 wins the round. But, there has been word from 343i that Halo 6 wouldn’t be making an appearance at E3, also they quickly shot down the possibility of a Halo 3 Aniversory. But, they said they had a little something at E3 waiting for us. While the briefing went on and my anticipation nearly over flowing as to what 343i had in store for us, the show ended and I was left in disappointment. 343i never took the stage to announce anything. But remembering back, Phil Spencer did acknowledge that if you had a copy of GoW 4, Halo Wars 2, or Forza Horizon 3 you would be getting a free upgrade to the 4k version when Xbox One X hit shelves in November. So, if this is the “Little Something” that 343i mentioned then I’m really disappointed. It’s been nearly 2 years since Halo 5 was released. Now I understand that with the Halo 5 fiasco that 343i would want to make Halo 6 the best possible and take as much time needed. A simple teaser trailer wouldn’t be all that bad. But, I guess we shall have to wait till E3 2018 to find out about Halo 6. 

     With that I conclude that Xbox had a pretty good E3 briefing. There are some indie games I’m excited about, some Maine games im also excited about. Xbox has 22 exclusive titles coming our way. But I felt like they were still holding back. Especially with VR. I’ve never tried VR and to be honest I don’t know if I would like it, but I would like to have seen them show of a demo of VR. But this E3 was mostly for the 40+ games they wanted to show off. I’m more into PC gaming and the only thing keeping me bound to an Xbox is Halo. But, maybe things will be a little better later on. I’m looking forward to the release of Xbox One X. Are you?

E3 2017

     I can almost hear all the guys nearly scream like little girls. The expectations, the reveals, the hidden secrets will all soon be revealed. If you don’t know what E3 is then you must not be apart of the Gaming Community. But, I don’t mind explaining to the non gaming person what E3 is. 
     E3 is short for “Electronic Entertainment Expo”, Hence the name E3. It’s the one week of the year we’re every gamer just about wants to scream like a little school girl. It’s held in June, the dates change from time to time, but June is the month. It’s held at the Los Angeles Convention Center. There all the major players like; Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, Etc come to gether willingly, cough cough, to show off new and exciting Games, Consoles, and other devices. 
     It’s the one place to go to or to live stream to get all the latest info on all the new gaming content. If Microsoft has a new console coming out then you can bet a million dollars that’s usually where they would reveale it. If Rockstar wants to give a trailer, or reveal the new Grand Thert Auto game then that’s where it will be. So, E3 has a big place in all the gamers hearts. If you wish to go then expect to pay out some good money. Let’s just say it’s not cheap. But, I will say it would be a once in a life time experience. 

     

• Microsoft – Xbox

     With getting the introduction over with I wanna talk about a few things. Mostly, what will Microsofts new Code named “Project Scorpio” Xbox Pro will look like. Not long ago the spects of the console were released and we finally got to get a good glimpse of what this beast has under the hood.

     Now, the developer kit photo was released, but it’s the developers kit. It won’t really look like that. But, I wish for a console that will break from tradition. Microsoft got some scrutiny when it came to the debut of “Xbox One” especially with it looking like a old, antique VHS player. Now I’m not saying I hate the design of the X1, but I don’t really like it as well. 
     When the Xbox One S was debuted I was really surprised. They made it look similar to the Xbox One, but they also slightly changed it. With also changing the size while making it smaller also helped. I really liked the design. So, for the next Xbox console I hope it changes things. I want Microsoft to hold to the fact that “This is the fastest, biggest, and over all the best gaming console ever” With that I believe changing the design to fit the statement might also help it.

     I know when I seen the PS4 Pro design I nearly laughed. I mean it nearly looks like Sony put a slim on top of a normal PS4. It actually looks like an incomplete Pyramid. We are in a modern world of technology, can’t we have some mind blowing designs? Yet we get a half complete pyramid and a old VHS style box. Come on, your not fooling anyone. 

     With that Being said, I have high hopes for “Project Scorpio” and what it might look like, the price, and the official name. We will learn more on June 11th which is when Microsoft is expected to hold their E3 briefing.

• 343i

     Now I would like to shift my attention to 343 Industries.  I credit my old friend Justin G for introducing me to this game. The many hours, days, weeks, years we spent playing this game during the summer or after school was some of the best times of my life. Bungie released “Halo: Combat Evolved” in 2001, But, no Halo game came close to Bungie’s last game in the Master Chief Saga than Halo 3.Bungie went on to make Halo 3: ODST, Halo Wars, and Halo: Fall of Reach. 

     The split of Bungie and Microsoft came as a shock to everyone because even though Bungie was the one who came up with the halo series Microsoft actually owned the rights. When Bungie left Microsoft they had to leave their most beloved Game Series behind as well. It wasn’t long before Microsoft had a special department issued to take the helm for the future of the Halo Series. That’s when 343 Industries or aka 343i was introduced. Since taking the helm we have seen Halo Aniversory (Marking the 10 year aniversory which originally came out on the original Xbox, 343i released in 2011 Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary for the Xbox 360. Complete with update visuals, scenes, etc), then came Halo 4 (The continuation of Master Chief’s story), Halo: The Master Chief Collection ( which came out for Xbox One, it combined Halo 1-4 into one game. Marking the 10th aniversory for Halo 2, instead of releasing Halo 2 Aniversory as a stand alone game, they included it with the MCC.), Halo 5, and last but not least Halo Wars 2.
     Now I could go on an on about the halo series. This is the one game that really got me into gaming, other than Crash Bandicoot. But, I will try to not spend any more time than is necessary. 343i hasn’t really done that well of a job when it comes to their continuation of the Halo Universe. Halo 4 was ok, MCC was a complete distaster ( Mostly because the online multiplayer was bugged since launch and 343i tried to fix all the problems but seemed to give up after a while. I still play it from time to time, haven’t really experienced any problems, but I’m not the only one who will say MCC was a disaster from the start and 343i should have spent more time working on it.), Halo 5 was probably the biggest let down. I’m surprised 343i still has me as a valued player as well as others. (Taking away couch potato split screen, introducing a new team, limiting Master chief scenes and play time to 3 out of 15 missions. I could go on. Halo 5 will go down as the worst halo game ever created.)

     343i has apologized to their fans for the game and reassure that Halo 6 will be all about Master chief, and the couch potato split screen also making a come back, but I’m on the fence about all this. Halo Wars 2 got a lot of positive feedback and some negative feedback, haven’t played it yet, but plan on it. But, 343i posted that they will have a little something at E3 17 next month. As to what that is we can only guess. Halo 6 has been shot down as in it won’t make an appearance at E3 next month and there is a rumor that it’s actually being pushed to 2019 instead of 2018. 343i has also many time denied the existence of a possible Halo 3 Anniversary and with that there really isn’t much to go on. We will have to wait till June 11th to find out what 343i “Little Something” is. 

     With E3 right around the corner Im very excited about what new games will be showcased. Microsoft might even showcase their new Agumented Reality headsets that are suppose to be released next year for the Scorpio. Will we get an update on GTA 6 or maybe Elder Scrolls 6? I guess we will have to wait to find out. 

Till next time, get some sleep night owls. 

In The End

     So, i thought I’d share a piece of my thoughts today. In the early am. Well, I better explain. I was working my normal 3rd shift. It was the last shift before some days off. I went in Saturday at 5:30pm and wouldn’t get off till Sunday at 5:00am. Well, I ended up leaving work at 5:30am. All I wanted to do was get home as fast as I could. It’s my so called off days and I just wanna be in my bed playing games. Normal kind of Sunday morning. I decided to take a quicker way home. Going up the mountain a different way. Well, on my way I finally got the the bottom of the mountain before I started heading up. This road is broken into two parts. The first part was a little road that lead you half way up, then a steeper hill that would take you to the top. As I turned on the first part of heading up the mountain a SUV passed me flashing their lights. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know what that means. I slowed down to a speed I normally wouldn’t drive, I guess you could call me a speed demon. Once I reached the end of part 1 of the small road I noticed 2 Police issued SUV’s and they had a road towards the right blocked up and had their blue light running. I’m surprised I didn’t run of the road. It’s in the early am and bright flashing lights don’t mix. I continued to head home and just wondered what was going on like anyone would. I ended up pushing it from my mind and just drove home to start my days off.

     Later in the day I ended up going back to work on my day off to see a co worker that I’m good friends with and she ended up switching shifts. We talked, for a little over an hour and with working at a hospital you get inside scoop on a lot of things. This is when she informed me on what I seen coming home from work that same morning. On Sunday, April 3rd a former schoolmate I went to school with (but really didn’t know), a former national guard member, a member of the local police department, a soon to be husband, a father, hit a concrete wall. The car was smashed to pieces and he didn’t make it. This guy was around my age, maybe a few years older. But the point is, I got me thinking. No one is guaranteed tomorrow, a second more, days, months, years. This guy was a hell of a guy and he just died. We don’t know when our time is up, but this guys boy is going to grow up without his dad.

     This is something that reminds me of a story I might tell one day, but when life is going good, then torn, you try to make sense of it. You try to make sense of why, why was this man taken way too soon? He had a hell of a lot more time on this planet. All his hopes, dreams, thoughts, they seized to exist. Everything was there, and then gone. It just goes to show you how life can just be gone in a heart beat. This is why we all need to think about the choices we make every single day and what the outcome might be. We are not guaranteed tomorrow, but we can try to make better choices. So, just watch your speed, and if something seems dangerous that’s probably because it is.
Thanks, Mr. Night owl

Up With Night Owls

     Hi, my name is Brian. So, I though that I’d go into a little description about my blog. So, I’m a night owl. I work 3rd shift and I like it. I’ve always hated getting up early in the morning, going to school, work, etc. I’ve always stayed up late, I prefer the dark than the light. Never know what ya can’t see. But, I like to write on my days off at times. Really talk about nothing specific. I like gaming, politics, technology, and I’m openly gay. So, when I decided to just start a small blog I was curious as to what to call it. I mean everyone has there fancy names and I’m not looking to get thousands of people. I just like sharing my thoughts and knowledge about things. So when I thought about it for a few days I decided that I only write during the night time hours, since this is when I’m usually up. So, why not throw Night Owls in the title. So, now we’re here. I came up with the name because “Up With Night Owls” is all about writing and having those deep thoughts and questions that seem to come at the worst time, usually at night. I know I’m not the only night owl here though. Some people like to read and write at night. This is when fore some that the thinking and questioning really starts digging in. So, no, It’s just me, myself, and I. There is not other night owl writing with me. One of the true meanings of my blog name is that I’m writing as a night owl to other night owls. So, why not name is what I have. 

     So, when you come here the possibility of this being a one topic blog is going to be throw out the window right now. I know it’s better to stick with one topic, but why when the whole point is that night owls do their creative brainstorming when there suppose to be asleep. You have multiple topics, answers, questions. It’s better to write about all of them  than sticking with one boring topic. Not saying one topic is boring, just to me as a writer I don’t like staying with one topic. So, I’ll write just about anything. No limits, unless  your here looking for some late night enjoyment in the form of xxx, if this is the case then you’ve come to the wrong blog. So, if you like my stuff share it, if you want to comment, you know how, and if your up to sharing your own ideas in privacy then I don’t mind emails. 

In any case, I hope you enjoy. Hope to hear from you soon. ~Mr. Night owl~

Just in case you want to talk in private.

brianj1911@hotmail.com