Bill Loguidice's Blog, page 28

Unboxing The Ernest Hemingway Freewrite Signature Edition – The Ultimate Writing Indulgence

This is a quick unboxing of the ultimate writer’s indulgence, The Ernest Hemingway Freewrite Signature Edition, aka The “Hemingwrite,” from Astrohaus. It’s a branded, upscale version of the Freewrite with a polished aluminum chassis and green keycaps with the same excellent Cherry MX Brown switches and heavy base.

As an owner of the original Freewrite and Freewrite Traveler, I have a lot of experience with the Astrohaus platform dating back to 2017. Conceptually, it’s a modern interpretation of a digital typewriter that saves your work both locally and to various cloud services (including email) and is meant as a simplified, distraction-free writing device. You’re meant to type and not worry about editing, which you can do later on a more traditional computing device.

While all of these devices are relatively expensive, I feel that most writers are used to occasional indulgences. Whether it’s finding the perfect keyboard, software, pen, paper, chair, desk, etc., there is definitely something to the concept of your environment and tools making it “easier” to write, even if it’s purely psychological. I know I’ve indulged myself time and again with such things, and really, if it produces results, why not? In other words, if you’re a writer, get out there and write, then write some more any way that you’re able to!

The Ernest Hemingway Freewrite Signature Edition

The post Unboxing The Ernest Hemingway Freewrite Signature Edition – The Ultimate Writing Indulgence appeared first on Armchair Arcade.

HTC Vive/Oculus/VIVEPORT VR Review: Baby Hands

This review was originally created in December 2018 for HTC, targeted to their original Vive/Vive Pro (VIVEPORT) and Oculus Rift. It is reproduced here without alteration.

Although an unsupervised baby is a parent’s worst nightmare, the concept has proven to be great fun in fiction. Perhaps the first popular example of an all-too-clever baby getting into all kinds of trouble on its own was in the 1956 Tom and Jerry animated short, Busy Buddies. In that cartoon, Tom the cat and Jerry the mouse play against type and team up to keep a baby safe when Jeannie, the babysitter, is more interested in talking on the phone than looking after her unstoppable, crawling charge.

It wouldn’t be until the 1990s, and the Nickelodeon cartoon classic, Rugrats, however, that the lead babies and toddlers would get into some real adventures on their own, with typically only the audience as any real witness to the imaginative antics.

The Rugrats crew was led by Tommy Pickles, a brave, kind, loyal, and adventurous baby, with the opening credits famously taking partial place from his crawling, and barely standing and walking, point of view. It’s this concept and how the show’s babies make it out of their baby fence to go on their imaginative adventures that proves the inspiration for Baby Hands.

That one is on you.

Baby Hands casts you as a precocious baby left to his or her own devices in a small home full of life-size rooms to explore and all kinds of objects to interact with. You get around mostly through crawling with your hands but can also stand for short periods if you need to see a bit higher than ground level.

Designed for Vive, Vive Pro, or Oculus Rift owners, the game can be played seated or standing in a room-scale environment. Each controller represents one of your baby hands.

As is typical for a sandbox game, there are a lot of things in each room to interact with; use of your imagination is encouraged. While the game contains some low- to medium-difficulty puzzles, the main goal is really just to explore and do things from the perspective of a baby. In fact, it’s designed so you can safely do all the things that a baby shouldn’t do, like say, drop items in a toilet, or get some pricey electronics wet.

Sound is sparse, consisting of simple sound effects for the objects you interact with. While the visuals are similarly simple, they’re cleanly rendered and well-colored, creating a convincing, cartoon-like environment to crawl around in.

Such elaborate toys for a baby!

While it’s something of a marvel all the puzzles, mini-games, and fun discoveries the developers have packed into this experience, the game itself is not without its issues. Regardless of how clever the setup of playing from the perspective of a baby, the “authentic” crawling motion you need to make with your hands to move about is slow and does get tiresome after a while. It’s also this necessarily low perspective that can cause some trouble for the game engine, as you can sometimes inadvertently reset your orientation below the plane of the floor.

Despite some of its frustrations, the overall Baby Hands experience is to be commended. If you can deal with the somewhat slow pace and simulation, unintentional or not, of how hard it can be at times for a baby to easily manipulate objects, there’s a lot to do and like here. And if you’re a fan of Rugrats, all the better, as it gives new meaning to Tommy Pickles’ motto of, “A baby’s gotta do what a baby’s gotta do!”.

Score: 4 out of 5 stars.

The post HTC Vive/Oculus/VIVEPORT VR Review: Baby Hands appeared first on Armchair Arcade.

Video: ONEXPLAYER Unboxing – The Steam Deck Killer is Here!

A quick unboxing of the ONEXPLAYER and keyboard add-on. A comparison is made to the earlier GPD WIN3 and the upcoming AYA NEO and Steam Deck are also discussed. Based on screen size alone, the ONEXPLAYER is going to be tough to beat in the handheld PC gaming space.

This was from the early bird Indiegogo and is the 16GB + 1TB x 1165G7 version.

The post Video: ONEXPLAYER Unboxing – The Steam Deck Killer is Here! appeared first on Armchair Arcade.

Build Your Own Legends (BYOL) Home Arcade Board Competition Season 2 starts Monday, July 19, 2021!

AtGames just announced that their Build Your Own Legends (BYOL) Competition Season 2 International Edition starts Monday, July 19, 2021. Official Competition Rules are at this link.

There were some creative entries last time using the Legends Connect board as the foundation, so there are sure to be even more impressive DIY builds this time.

Legends Connect

The post Build Your Own Legends (BYOL) Home Arcade Board Competition Season 2 starts Monday, July 19, 2021! appeared first on Armchair Arcade.

HTC Vive/VIVEPORT VR Review – Awake: Episode One

This review was originally created in December 2018 for HTC, targeted to their original Vive/Vive Pro (VIVEPORT). It is reproduced here without alteration.

One of the challenges with interactive virtual reality stories is that, well, they’re usually not that interactive. Either you have limited freedom of movement or limited actions you can undertake, if not have to suffer through both. While such experiences can still be satisfying if the story is strong enough, it would be nice if these experiences were a bit more ambitious. For its part, Awake: Episode One attempts to push past some of its predecessor’s limitations with an interesting technological solution and refreshingly professional casting.

In this first in a planned eight-part series, you witness the story of Harry, a man tormented by strange, lucid dreams. As the story unravels over its nine short chapters, you discover the mysterious forces at play with love interest Rose and a dark presence referred to as The Shadow.

While the story is intriguing and extremely powerful, it’s the audio-visuals that really help to make the overall experience. Using volumetric video, which is really just a fancy term for capturing real-life three-dimensional locations and performances, the game achieves a unique look.

Of course, even the best 3D scanning technology still doesn’t quite seamlessly capture reality, for instance, facial textures tend not to map to heads quite right and fingers are something of a webbed disaster, but the unusual look of this game is still masterfully crafted and works well in context. In fact, even with this technique, there’s no “uncanny valley” effect, where computer-generated models unnervingly appear almost, but not quite, like real human beings. Fortunately, this is a convincing and self-consistent world, even if the characters and the objects they’re touching don’t always quite line up.

The visual design is undeniably interesting.

Another way that this game proves so immersive is in its use of professional actors. While other games of this type – even the good ones – have relied on fully computer-generated models and voice-over work that sounds suspiciously like one of the developers making a heroic attempt at voice acting, Awake: Episode One proves the value in using professionals. They not only act and move in a convincing manner but also provide the necessary gravitas to the voice work. You’ll find no issues with the audio or visuals in this game.

Awake: Episode One is designed as a standing, room-scale experience for Vive or Vive Pro owners. Either Vive controller, which is represented by points of light in-game, can be used to tap on certain hotspots to trigger the next event. Since your only form of locomotion is walking around your own play space, you’ll need a larger room to experience all of the details this game offers. Of course, smaller play spaces will still work, you’ll just have fewer angles to work with and sometimes be blocked from seeing certain things up close.

While this game beautifully solves the problem of limited immersion, at least if you have a larger room space, it doesn’t solve the problem of limited things to do. You really are nothing more than a witness to a story rather than a participant, kind of like being dropped into the middle of a short-form TV drama as an invisible extra. That’s not a bad thing, of course, but it would have been nice to have more effect on such a fantastically crafted world. Perhaps in future episodes.

Despite providing a breezy 20 minutes of content, Awake: Episode One still offers a compelling value for those looking for an interesting dramatic experience. Even without much to actively do, it still manages to advance the art of virtual reality storytelling. While there have been quality experiences before, what’s here proves that there was considerable room for improvement. Hopefully, more episodes come out as planned and the developers continue to push the envelope. There’s definitely more story here to tell.

Score: 5 out of 5 stars.

The post HTC Vive/VIVEPORT VR Review – Awake: Episode One appeared first on Armchair Arcade.

HTC Vive VR Review: Astral Domine

This review was originally created in July 2018 for HTC, targeted to their original Vive/Vive Pro (VIVEPORT). It is reproduced here without alteration.

Astral Domine, roughly translated as “Star Lady,” even though you’re referred to as “Star Lord,” and apparently in reference to the 1967 song Astronomy Domine by legendary English rock band, Pink Floyd, casts you in the titular role. Awakened from hypersleep after 4,383 “cycles,” you soon find yourself crash-landed on a mysterious planet. Here you must explore the ruins of an ancient alien kingdom to retrieve an energy sphere that can restore power to your spaceship. Indigenous lifeforms impede your progress as you explore the ancient civilization on this strange alien world.

The game plays like a mix of adventure game and first-person shooter as you try to make your way to the top of the alien castle and recover the required energy sphere. The adventure elements involve copious amounts of exploration and puzzle solving, while the first-person shooter elements involve the usual targeting and blasting with your energy gun. In fact, several of the puzzles work as a hybrid themselves, requiring precision shots from your energy gun as part of their solution. Fortunately, for those a bit less adept at handling their weapon, you can also slow down time to make targeting a bit easier. The puzzles themselves are well-implemented, if not especially challenging, particularly when compared to typical adventure games.

Play can be seated or standing in a room-scale environment of even modest size. Both Vive controllers are used for various in-game actions, including movement and jumping. Instead of the usual virtual reality staple of warping from place-to-place, Astral Domine utilizes smooth real-time motion where you move like you would in a regular first-person shooter. While this may be a bit jarring for sensitive stomachs, this type of movement system does help with the immersion and sense of exploration, in addition to providing for a refreshing change of pace for a virtual reality game.

Astral Domine does great with scale

The visuals are impressive with a great sense of scale, evoking design sensibilities from classic science fiction space operas with a dash of classic videogames. You really feel like you’re in a large, open – and alien – world, which is only let down by the occasional low-resolution texture. Audio is similarly top-notch, with an immersive soundtrack, suitable sound effects, and a cheeky talking spaceship computer companion. The latter in particular helps combat some of the all-too-typical feeling of isolation a game of this type typically engenders and adds some welcome humor.

While there’s no save system, there is a chapter selection menu. While not as good as a true stop-anywhere-and-save type of system, at least you don’t have to constantly replay earlier scenarios as you work your way to the end game. In fact, each of the eight chapters, and ninth credit sequence, is accessible out of order, even if you haven’t completed one of the prior.

If you’re looking for an out-of-the-ordinary virtual reality game, Astral Domine delivers, at least as long as its roughly two-hour overall play time lasts. It’s safe to say, however, that when it comes to a virtual reality game of this type, or an adventure game in general, leaving you wanting more is always a good thing.

Score: 4 out of 5 stars.

Astral Domine is available on Viveport or with a Viveport Subscription.

The post HTC Vive VR Review: Astral Domine appeared first on Armchair Arcade.

PR: New Wave Reveals 1/6-Scale Q*bert X RepliCade Mini Arcade Machines

There’s a cool new mini arcade coming, Q*bert, complete with knocker! While these fantastic-looking machines are the usual roughly 12 inches in height, they’re extremely playable and very easy to fit in places other machines can’t go. There are two versions available. You can read more about the upcoming release in the press release that follows, as well as pre-order now:

###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New Wave Reveals 1/6-Scale Q*bert X RepliCade Mini Arcade Machines

Now available to pre-order on NewWaveToys.com

LOS ANGELES — July 8, 2021 — Today, New Wave has revealed that the next classic game in its line of premium miniature arcade cabinets is none other than Q*bert. Q*bert X RepliCade is a faithful 1/6-scale arcade cabinet recreation capturing the essence of the Gottleib’s 1982 sensation, from its diagonally mounted four-way joystick to a fully-functional mini knocker coil that thumps when Q*bert falls off the pyramid. The fully-playable collectible is now available on NewWaveToys.com for the limited-time pre-order price of $129.99. Collectors can also pre-order a special Q*bert X RepliCade: Warren Davis Edition for $149.99, a limited-edition premium version that recreates the game designer’s personal prototype cabinet.

Both versions of the mini reproduction have been crafted with the meticulous attention to detail that New Wave consistently delivers. Players can experience the challenge of Warren Davis’ default gameplay settings or dive into the DIP switches and adjust the game to their liking. For those who are looking for an even tougher Q*bert experience, the mini cabinet also plays the previously unreleased sequel, Faster Harder More Challenging Q*bert.

Arcade lovers can enjoy the game on the RepliCade’s vertically-oriented 4:3 aspect ratio LCD or connect the cabinet to an HD television for big-screen, plug-and-play thrills. Either way, it’s the same Q*bert action that helped make the character an ’80s arcade legend.

The Warren Davis Edition includes additional cabinet detailing, including simulated wear and tear, a Gottlieb raised letter coin door, and an exclusive mini decal set.

Pre-orders for both editions are now live at NewWaveToys.com and estimated to ship in Q4 2021.

Key features:

Replica Q*bert arcade machine in 1/6-scalePlays the original Q*bert arcade ROM and Warren Davis’s previously unreleased sequel Faster Harder More Challenging Q*bertFully functional knocker coilArcade operator’s menu with customizable DIP switch and operational test modeMiniaturized control panel featuring reproduction ball-top joystick and buttonsPlug-and-Play HDTV connectivityCabinet constructed from traditional materials including wood, metal, and plasticIlluminated marquee and cabinet accentsRepliCade signature amplified mono audio reproduction with volume controlHigh-resolution cabinet art reproduction on quality 3M vinyl overlaysDiecast metal coin doors with storage compartmentsHigh score saving with non-volatile memoryBuilt-in, high-capacity rechargeable batteryPremium LCD color screen 4:3 aspect ratio (vertical orientation)Officially licensed Gottlieb branding

Warren Davis Edition — includes everything mentioned above in addition to:

Q*bert’s gibberish MarqueePreproduction side panel, bezel, and CPO artworkGottlieb raised letter coin door  Replica mini decal setMini decal setLimited edition

Released in 1982 by Gottleib, Q*bert quickly became an arcade sensation. Players were drawn to the titular character and its unusual gameplay, which had players bounding around a pyramid of cubes to change each block’s color. All the while, Q*bert was chased by enemies including Coily the snake. The character’s oddball personality — supplemented by nonsensical synthesized audio “swearing” — made him a natural fit for lunchboxes, clothing, and even a starring role on CBS’  Saturday Supercade animated series. Decades later, he appeared in cameos in films including Pixels and Wreck-It Ralph.

New Wave Toys is dedicated to recreating the authentic arcade experience with its line of premium collectibles, all of which replicate the features and vintage feel of the arcade machines we grew up with, in consumer-friendly 1/6-scale. Q*bert X RepliCade follows previously released cabinets including Asteroids X RepliCade, Street Fighter II: Champion Edition X RepliCade, Tempest X RepliCade, Centipede X RepliCade, and Dragon’s Lair X RepliCade.

For more information, please visit newwavetoys.com.

About New Wave

Since 2016, New Wave has been dedicated to licensing and recreating classic and culturally significant memorabilia in all forms – from arcade games to retro electronics, books, curios, and collectibles. Exclusivity, accuracy, and that all-important cool factor – it’s all there in the name. No matter the medium, New Wave has a way of embracing the future by preserving the best parts of what’s past; they spare no expense to deliver unparalleled quality and detail while capitalizing on their technological mastery to prime their products for modern relevance. A tight-knit team that first set out to make the items they wish they had growing up, New Wave understands nostalgia as more than an aesthetic, not cannibalizing but canonizing those most enduring tokens of our collective memory. Follow New Wave on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. For more information, please visit newwavetoys.com.

###

The post PR: New Wave Reveals 1/6-Scale Q*bert X RepliCade Mini Arcade Machines appeared first on Armchair Arcade.

AtGames TAITO Pinball Tables Volume 1 is almost here! (plus special offer)

As previously announced, AtGames has continued its partnership with TAITO to create custom pinball tables for its popular line of Legends Arcade Family devices. Developed by Magic Pixel, whose popular Zaccaria pinball tables are already featured on the AtGames home arcade products, TAITO Pinball Tables Volume 1 is officially the first original game creation from a home arcade manufacturer (i.e., among Arcade1Up, AtGames, iiRcade, Toy Shock, Unico, Well Played, etc.). TAITO Pinball Tables Volume 1, which includes tables based on arcade classics Darius, Front Line, Rastan, and Space Invaders, is exclusive to the Legends Arcade Platform.

While these tables are optimized for the impressive Legends Pinball machine, including dedicated backglass support, haptic feedback, and more, they’re also available in editions for every other Legends Arcade Family device and work great in various display modes, including Portrait. Here’s the official announcement from AtGames for TAITO Pinball Tables Volume 1, which comes out this Friday:

Every table has a backglass and a variety of display options to optimize for the device you want to play it on.

The much-anticipated TAITO Pinball Tables Volume 1 for all Legends Arcade Family Devices is almost here! You’ll be able to purchase this four pack of tables inspired by the iconic TAITO arcade games Darius, Front Line, Rastan, and Space Invaders starting Friday, July 9, 2021, 9AM PT/11AM CT/12PM ET. You can gain immediate access to these tables at that time by going to https://www.atgames.us/collections/pinball-tables and selecting the version for either the Legends Pinball or Legends Ultimate, Legends Ultimate Mini, Gamer Pro, Gamer Mini, Legends Core, and Legends Connect.

As a special bonus, purchases from Friday, July 9, 2021, 9AM PT/11AM CT/12PM ET, through Sunday, July 11, 2021, 11:59PM PT, will be eligible for 50% off TAITO Volume 2 and TAITO Volume 3 when they launch, and will also get early purchase access to each volume 24 hours before general public sale.

AtGames and Magic Pixel bring to life your favorite classic TAITO arcade games in stunning 1080p! Experience these all-time arcade classics in a whole new way with specially designed themed pinball tables. Fend off the Belser invader attack in Darius, occupy the enemy camp in Front Line, defeat the dragon and obtain its treasure in Rastan, and stop invaders from attacking the Earth in Space Invaders. Authentic sights and sounds paired with market-leading physics perfectly translate the legendary arcade experiences to virtual pinball nirvana. Regardless of your preference, there’s a table for everyone in this impressive arcade-themed pinball collection!

The post AtGames TAITO Pinball Tables Volume 1 is almost here! (plus special offer) appeared first on Armchair Arcade.

HTC Vive/Oculus Rift VR Review – Affected: The Manor

This review was originally created in October 2018 for HTC, targeted to their original Vive/Vive Pro (VIVEPORT) and Oculus Rift. It is reproduced here without alteration.

Billing itself as the “most popular horror experience in VR,” Affected: The Manor has a lot of hype to live up to. Originally released as a demo called Affected in 2014 during the early days of modern virtual reality technology, it has since morphed into a full game experience, the first in a planned trilogy.

Instead of focusing on puzzle solving, manipulating objects, or using weapons to battle enemies, Affected: The Manor sticks to the psychology of horror. Your interactions are limited to looking at and walking through “The Manor,” where your focus is on sticking to one of two routes and seeing one of four alternate endings. Since dying is not possible, the only real challenge here is having the personal fortitude to handle an anxiety-ridden experience where the next terrifying jump scare is only moments away.

Designed for the Vive or Oculus Rift, Affected: The Manor is playable seated or standing. The developers recommend that you not only stand and use headphones, but also play in a darkened room to minimize light bleed. These developers clearly mean business.

The audio-visuals can make or break this type of experience. Without the right sound design or realism to the graphics, it would be all too easy to lose immersion along the way. Fortunately, there are no Theremins, rubber masks, or D-list actors here, just a modern horror spectacle that is enhanced by incredible lighting effects, or the lack thereof. In fact, it’s this critical use of and absence of light that the developers have absolutely nailed, which is why it’s considered so important to turn off your own lights while playing to get the maximum intended effect.

This definitely errs on the spooky side.

Although I’m no horror movie fan – I tend to find most of them rather silly – I was genuinely frightened by this game. My heart rate and adrenaline levels went through the roof, and I admit I had to stop several times while playing to pull myself together. I suspect my family thinks I was a bit crazy with all the times I shouted in genuine fear, but I think you’d have to be pretty jaded not to do the same. And for the record, there were surprisingly no takers among my wife and daughters when asked to try it out for themselves!

Since it was developed over so many years and for so many different virtual reality platforms, Affected: The Manor does little to take advantage of the Vive’s feature-set. What the game lacks in features, however, it makes up for in pure design.

If you want a good fright without having to deal with puzzles or other distractions like fighting off the undead, this is the game for you. I’m not scared to say that Affected: The Manor proves once again that, when done right, there’s nothing more impressive, immersive, or frightening, than a virtual reality experience done right.

Score: 4 out of 5 stars.

Affected: The Manor is available on Viveport or with a Viveport Subscription.

The post HTC Vive/Oculus Rift VR Review – Affected: The Manor appeared first on Armchair Arcade.

Custom t-shirts online in a rush?

There are countless custom print companies out there, so those of us who like to create custom merchandise – even if it’s just a one-off for personal use – have a lot of options to wade through. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to check out a t-shirt from RushOrderTees.com and came away impressed enough to declare it one for the “keep” column.

Now, when I designed my current Armchair Arcade logo, I really didn’t have merch in mind, so it’s definitely not optimized for that. While I suppose I’ll eventually change out the logo, it does serve most of my needs, although again, it can be a challenge to print correctly on physical products. Fortunately, despite the challenges – and likely because I also chose the right shirt color as the base – the end result with RushOrderTees.com proved excellent.

I received my “4980 Black Label Ringspun Cotton T-Shirt by Hanes in Ash,” in Large, not too long after putting through the design, which was verified automatically by their system. What I received was a soft, comfortable shirt with my preferred athletic (i.e., not baggy) fit in a clear plastic bag. The shirt was tagged Next Level Apparel (NL) and Made in Honduras, consisting of a pleasing 90% algodón/10% poliéster blend typical of Hanes. Logo details and color reproduction were excellent.

Armchair Arcade Custom T-Shirt from RushOrderTees.com modeled by the author.Armchair Arcade Custom T-Shirt from RushOrderTees.com modeled by the author.Armchair Arcade Custom T-Shirt from RushOrderTees.com modeled by the author.Armchair Arcade Custom T-Shirt from RushOrderTees.com modeled by the author.

Overall, there’s not much more to say. It’s an easy-to-use site, and, at least as far as the t-shirts goes, a quality end product, even with my not-so-ideal logo.

The post Custom t-shirts online in a rush? appeared first on Armchair Arcade.