This is turning into a truly remarkable story at this stage. I genuinely feel for the developers to be honest. Sony has released a statement this morning not only confirming customers could get refunds if they bought Cyberpunk 2077 but they’ve removed it from the PlayStation Store.
What’s Going On With Cyberpunk 2077?
I’m glad I didn’t get caught up in the but long wait for Cyberpunk 2077. I really only got excited in the weeks building up to it. The game promised to tick a lot of boxes for me to be honest. It was a somewhat dystopian game with a massive open map. It would bring together some of my favourite pieces of entertainment. Bits of Blade Runner crossed with GTA and Fallout. Naturally, as soon as it was released I bought it on my Xbox One. Within an hour, I was looking for a refund, which I got.
The game was due to be released earlier this year but development setbacks meant several delays and missed dates. It looks like the developer, CD Projekt Red, decided that no matter what happened, they wouldn’t close out 2020 without launching this game. A massive mistake if that’s the case. To be fair to the developer, and probably why I’m feeling sorry for them, they’ve held their hands up and offered to help customers getting refunds.
It’s been a disaster for the developers and customers from the wait to premature launch. It’s even reminded one Twitter user of the famous Fyre Festival, an unfortunately fitting comparison and benchmark no-one wants to be measured against.
Sony Removes Cyberpunk 2077 From PlayStation Store
Which brings us to today and perhaps the most shocking moment in this whole story. Sony Interactive Entertainment has today pulled Cyberpunk 2077 from their PlayStation store. You can not buy Cyberpunk 2077 on the PlayStation Store for te foreseeable future.
In a statement, the company said they “[strive] to ensure a high level of customer satisfaction” and “will begin to offer a full refund for all gamers who have purchased Cyberpunk 2077 via PlayStation Store”.
No similar decision has been made by Microsoft for Xbox yet. Xbox is in a stickier situation however has the game advertising featured a lot of focus on Xbox. This might have made Sony’s decision easier and Microsoft’s a lot harder.
What Does This Mean For Cyberpunk 2077 In General?
It’s not a death-nail in a coffin. As horrible as all of this is, 2077 might just survive because of how battle-hardened we’ve all become in 2020! To be fair, we do need to remember this is just a game where the developers succumbed to either business or public pressure to launch. Bugs can be patched and the game will return to the PlayStation Store as good as it can be.
The only big problem I foresee is beyond the bugs. The game itself, or at least its story mode, felt stiff and uninteresting. The dialogue scripts were dull and poorly acted. I’m just not sure that the game can recover from the bad press purely because I’m still not convinced at its core that it’s a good game.
If you’re a fan of Star Wars, Marvel or even Indiana Jones, Christmas may have just come early for you. Last night, Disney announced a slew of new projects as well as providing us with an update on some of their imminent releases for both the big screen and their streaming platform Disney+.
From familiar faces, to brand new stories in alternate universes it seems that everyone will be getting a look-in in the coming years. There’s even a star from “a long time ago” making an appearance. With so much to tell you about why don’t we jump right into it?
Marvel News
With some of their projects already announced, most of the detailed announcements we got came from the house that Stan Lee built. Remember that unlike their Netflix counterparts, each of these TV shows will be intrinsically linked to the MCU film continuity. So, you can probably expect far more references and crossovers!
WandaVision
This will be the first of the new Marvel shows to hit our screens when it drops on Disney+ on January 15th. This seems to be Marvel’s first real foray into the idea of the Marvel multiverse (it will tie into both the upcoming Doctor Strange and Spider-Man movies focussed on the same idea). Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, Scarlet Witch and Vision find themselves in a number of idyllic neighbourhoods, each seemingly based on different periods in TV sitcom history (with nods to shows like I Love Lucy, Married… With Children, and the Brady Bunch).
However, things may not all be as they appear as their neighbours become increasingly frenetic and scared of some unknown threat. Will this show bring Vision back into the MCU or will it be his swansong after his death in Infinity War? I guess we’ll find out in January!
The Falcon and Winter Soldier
Fondly dubbed the Falcon and Bucky show, this series will focus on the two-man team consisting of Captain America’s closest partners. Not a lot has been revealed about the show yet, but this trailer gives us a few hints as to what we can expect. It looks like the team will be working to take down Baron Zemo, the man who tried to tear the Avengers apart in Captain America 3: Civil War. You can also count on an appearance from Sharon Carter, as well as Cap’s government-approved replacement US Agent. But will this more ruthless symbol of American justice be a help or a hindrance to our heroes?
Loki
As we saw in Infinity War, Loki was able to get his hands on the Tesseract/Space Stone after the “Battle of New York”, seen in the first Avengers movie. This series will follow him from that point onwards and will possibly (hopefully!) tie into Thor: Love and Thunder which is due out in 2022. In this show we’ll see Loki in the employ or the Time Variance Authority (or TVA) under the watchful eye of Owen Wilson’s Mobius M. Mobius. The TVA are usually responsible for correcting any faults in various timelines throughout the universe (similar to the Agency in the Umbrella Academy). Is Loki becoming a Timecop to pay off a debt to the TVA? Or has he found a new career path? All will be revealed in May 2021!
What If?
The first animated series in the MCU will be centred around its titular question, “What if?”. Narrated by Jeffrey Wright as The Watcher this episodic release will showcase some alternate realities in the Marvel multiverse like “What if T’Challa had been picked up by Yondu and became Starlord?” or “What if Peggy Carter had gotten the Super Soldier serum and became a female Captain Britain?”. Don’t mistake this for some throw-away fanfic, however. All of the MCU mainstays have provided their voices to their respective characters for this interesting take on alternate MCU history. Even the late, great Chadwick Boseman recorded his lines before his passing so expect a tearful goodbye to his character when “What If?” comes to D+ next summer.
Ms. Marvel
Not to be confused with Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel follows a 16 year-old Kamala Khan, a girl of Pakistani descent growing up in New Jersey who gains the ability to Shapeshift. Aside from a late 2021 release date and the fact that the titular heroine will be played by Iman Vellani we know next to nothing about this show. Thankfully, however, Disney were kind enough to provide us with a sizzle reel to give us a feel for what Marvel’s youngest hero so far will be getting up to!
Captain Marvel 2
Ok, this one actually is Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel. Seemingly set in the post-Endgame timeline this will see Carol Danvers take up the Mantle of Captain Marvel once again alongside her new partners Monica Rambeau and Kamala Khan. Yep, Captain Marvel and Ms. Marvel together, hopefully things won’t get too confusing. This isn’t due out until winter 2022 so we’ve got a lot of time to really get those names cemented in our heads.
Secret Invasion
Starring Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury and Ben Mendelsohn as the Skrull leader Talos, this series will most likely follow the comic-book storyline of the same name. I’m guessing there’ll probably be a rogue faction of Skrulls invading Earth and taking over people’s identities in a very “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” kind of way. Will Talos have to turn on his people to save Earth? Or will Talos turn on the Earth to save his people?
Ironheart
With Tony Stark sacrificing himself to save the universe at the end of Avengers: Endgame the famous red and gold suit is up for grabs. Enter Riri Williams as Ironheart, the successor to Tony Stark’s Iron Man. In the comics Riri has an AI based on Tony in her suit similar to Tony’s Jarvis or Friday, will this be a way to bring Robert Downey Junior back to the MCU in a voice role? Only time will tell.
Armor Wars
A series following Don Cheadle’s James “Rhodey” Rhodes as he hunts down malicious actors who have gotten their hands on some of Tony Stark’s most dangerous tech. Will Tony’s worst fears be realised, or will Rhodey protect his best friend’s legacy?
Fantastic Four
Here we go again! Let’s hope that the third time’s the charm for making a series that does justice to Marvel’s First Family. With John Watts (of Spider-Man Homecoming and Spider-Man Far From Home) at the helm there’s a lot to be hopeful for. Fingers crossed the 4th film for Mr, Mrs, the Thing, and the Human Torch will be truly fantastic this time around. No details have been revealed about this second reboot of the franchise so we’ll be keeping an ear to the ground in the meantime for any news we can get our hands on!
Star Wars
There weren’t quite as many details around some of the projects from a long time ago in a galaxy far far away. Few release windows and even fewer trailers were given. However, the projects that were announced are all very exciting in their own way. Take a look below to see what you can expect from Lucasfilm in a coming couple of years.
Rogue Squadron
The next film in the Star Wars canon will centre around a new generation of fighter pilots in the New Republic. Not a lot is known about this movie right now, but it will certainly draw heavy inspiration from the childhood of Director Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman and Wonder Woman 1984) whose father was a real-life fighter pilot. In the Star Wars universe Rogue Squadron was founded by veteran pilot Wedge Antilles. Does this mean that Denis Lawson might reprise his role as a mentor to this new batch of pilots? We can only hope so! We’ll be keeping a close eye on this one until it comes out in December 2023.
Untitled Taika Waititi Film
From the comedy genius that brought us What We Do in the Shadows, Thor Ragnarok, and Jojo Rabbit (and is currently bringing us Thor Love and Thunder) comes a second foray into a galaxy far far away. Following his appearance as IG-11 in the first episode of The Mandalorian, Taika Waititi will be putting his own spin on the Star Wars story that I, for one, cannot wait to see. His directing brilliance and sense of humour will certainly make this film one to remember. No details have been announced yet, but we can’t wait to hear more!
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Ok, so not technically a newly announced series (we first heard about it last year) but this is possibly one of the most exciting announcements from last night’s event. Set 10 years after the establishment of the Empire and the fall of the Jedi. We will almost definitely see Obi Wan wrestling with his greatest loss, the corruption of his apprentice Anakin Skywalker and his going into hiding on Tatooine. But we knew all that already. What’s got our interest piqued is the return of none other than Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader. In a statement the actor said that he was excited to work with Ewan McGregor again and let me tell you, we’re excited to see it! Of course, we all hope that this won’t interfere with established canon. As we all know, after their fateful duel on Mustafar, Vader and Obi-Wan didn’t meet again until their fateful showdown on the first Death Star in A New Hope. We’ll have to wait and see!
Ahsoka
Following on from here acclaimed appearance in The Mandalorian as fan favourite Ahsoka Tano, Rosario Dawson will be reprising her role in a limited series that is also being produced by Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni. Whether this will show us what Ahsoka was up to between the Clone Wars and the Mandalorian or whether it will continue her search for Grand Admiral Thrawn we don’t know. But we’re looking forward to finding out.
Rangers of the New Republic
Jon Favreau’s going to be a busy boy because here comes his third Star Wars series! Set in the same time-frame as the Mandalorian this series will intersect with both his other works and culminate in a “climactic story event”. We’re sure that some familiar faces will be popping up from the wider Star Wars canon and we’ll be sure to be the first to bring you all the details as they’re revealed.
Andor
Taking place before the events of Rogue One, this film will give us a bit more back-story on Cassian Andor, a rebel spy who is key to the Rebellion’s intelligence network. The sizzle reel that Disney presented is giving us real James Bond vibes as Cassian Andor finds himself wrapped up in a world of intrigue and covert action. Both Diego Luna and Genevieve O’Reilly will be reprising their roles as Andor and Mon Mothma respectively with other big names like Stellan Skarsgard and Fiona Shaw attached as well. Not a lot has been revealed about the series so far, but you can expect to see it some time in 2022 on Disney+.
Lando
One of the galaxy’s most charming and mysterious men is back with his own series that is currently being developed by Justin Simien. Nothing has been announced about this series yet but here’s hoping the internet’s favourite multi-hyphenate artist Donald Glover will come back on board to give life to Lando Calrissian once again.
The Acolyte
Taking place during the so-called Golden Era of the Jedi, the High Republic, this series will give a darker, more mysterious look into the Star Wars universe. Will this suspense-filled thriller give hints as to the origins of the current incarnation of the Sith? We’re certainly on board to see what Emmy-nominated Leslye Headland can bring to the table in this series which will bring us further back in the Star Wars timeline than any TV series or movie to date.
The Bad Batch
Following on from their introduction in The Clone Wars, this new animated series will follow the titular band of clones as they adapt to life after the war. With each member of the Batch possessing a unique skill or trait will they be able to find their purpose as mercenaries or does fate have something else in store for them? Check out the sizzle reel above for a look at what’s to come.
Star Wars Visions
For any big franchise it’s only a matter of time before it gets the anime treatment. Batman got a movie in Batman Ninja, Marvel even has a collection of series creatively dubbed Marvel Anime. But this is a fate that has elided Star Wars for the last 43 years. Until now! Star Wars Visions is a series of 10 short films being produced by some of Japan’s top anime houses. This will be a truly fresh take on the Star Wars continuity and will be high up on my own personal watch list with its blend of eastern and western influences. As a huge anime fan I’m looking forward to the unique perspectives that this new style will bring and what it might mean for the Star Wars franchise moving forward.
So that’s all great, but to borrow an Apple phrase, there’s more….
Untitled Indiana Jones Movie
Surprising everyone, it was announced that Lucasfilm is in pre-production on a new instalment of the Indiana Jones franchise. Almost more surprising is the fact that Harrison ford will be back as Indy to continue his journey. Whether Shia LeBoeuf will be back as Mutt Willaims remains to be seen but one thing’s for certain, after the last outing Indy had it’s probably a good idea that James Marigold is in the director’s chair instead of Spielberg. Let’s hope that Indy can get a better send off in this film than the one he got in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
Wow. Just wow. On a few levels, wow. CD Projekt Red, the developers of the either famous or infamous Cyberpunk 2077 game has started offering refunds for all game purchases.
Cyberpunk 2077: Failure To Launch
This follows my own experience with getting a refund after buying a digital copy on Xbox. It was terribly buggy and, if I’m honest, other un-patchable areas of the game were pretty poor too. I got my refund and it turns out I wasn’t alone. Traffic to that article has been insane, evidence that there have been plenty of others turning to Google to see what they can do to get their money back. PlayStation gamers, of which I thought I would be by now, are also getting refunds for Cyberpunk 2077.
This, quite frankly, is unprecedented in my eyes. Cyberpunk 2077 has potential to be amazing, but it’s been rushed and what’s being sold for €69.99 just isn’t a finished product. That’s not the unprecedented bit. What’s remarkable is that CD Projekt Red is now offering refunds to gamers if all other avenues fail.
Getting Your Cyberpunk 2077 Refund
If you’ve been left frustrated to the point of impatience with Cyberpunk 2077 and don’t want to wait for the patch you can get a refund. In a statement released on Twitter by CD Projekt Red this morning, the company will take on the responsibility of refunding customers who can’t get digital refunds back themselves.
CD Projekt Red are requesting that unhappy customers who’ve bought on PlayStation of Xbox, they ask that you follow the usual refunds process. If you bought a physical copy, they are directing you to point of purchase to request a refund. Personally, I can’t see a single Game Stop in the country taking back an opened copy of a game for a refund unless the developer has agreed a process with the retailer.
In the very likely scenario that’s the case, you can contact the developer directly on helpmerefund@cdprojektred.com. They’ll help you out with your refund.
To be fair to CD Projekt Red, this is the right response to what has happened. From here, people who were disappointed get their money back while those willing to wait know there’s two big patches coming in January and February.
If you’ve bought a physical copy in a shop like Game Stop and have looked for a refund, how did you get on? Let me know. I’ve reached out to the Game Stop for comment.
If 2020 has allowed me to do one thing, it’s been to rediscover my inner gamer. The whole “working from home” thing has given me some extra time to lose myself in virtual worlds, even while my doggo sits and licks my hands while I play through my back catalogue of games. So, on paper, Black Desert Online was a no brainer for me. RPG with a massive world to explore, stunning graphics throughout and huge customisation? Sign me up!
First Impressions
First of all, if you do decide to invest your money to start in Black Desert Online, you need to know what you’re getting into. The game takes up just over 50GB of hard drive space on your PS4. For comparison, GTA takes up about 80GB. Considering the depths that the world of Black Desert Online goes into, that’s not bad at all.
Unfortunately, that’s where things take a sour(ish) turn. I’ve no issue with paying a subscription to gain full access to online multiplayer and everything that comes with it. But even before you get to see anything of the game, Black Desert forces you to sign up for Playstation Plus. That’s even before accessing the main menu, never mind seeing anything of the game before deciding if you want to invest more money into it. That puts it into the pay to win (more like pay to play!) category of games for me. Not cool Pearl Abyss, not cool at all.
Customisation Overkill
Ok, so now we’re ready to start playing, right? Wrong. Choosing a character and customizing him or her to a level where you’re happy is tedious in Black Desert. And that’s being kind. There are 18 different character classes to choose from. Each class has their own personality traits. You can then manipulate these using horoscopes. You honestly could spend hours just tweaking your characters looks and clothing. For example, you can adjust the hairstyle length at the front, sides and back. It may appeal to gamers who love to go hardcore when customising, but for me, it feels more like overkill. After nearly an hour sitting in front of my TV, I just went for one of the stock characters to finally get playing.
In Game
Once you’re in game however, things do start to pick up. You launch your game within a beginners server, allowing you time to get used to the mechanics and to level up before taking on some of the meatier challenges on offer. The first missions are all based around dialogue with the other characters, and navigating your way around the world. There are also multiple level up events that you can partake in to gain experience quicker. This can feel a little long winded, especially if you are looking to get straight into the action. But considering the scale of the world behind the game, this can be forgiven.
Graphically, the world of Black Desert Online is nothing short of mesmerizing. The attention to detail given to the landscapes must be applauded. Even down to the levels of detail on the characters. I know that might sound a bit contradictory, given I’ve just slated the game for the amount of time needed to actually get going. But it does make the game very impressive visually.
Black Desert Online, is it any good?
After the challenges experienced from the outset, Black Desert Online turned out to be better than expected. Pay for play annoys me at the best of times, so this managed to really set me off on a bad note. Customisation options available are vast, but the time investment that’s needed is just too much for me personally but may suit a more hardcore gamer. And while the graphics are stunning, the gameplay is more suited to gamers who are willing and able to put the time in. More casual gamers would do well to check out our Spiderman review or check out our Assassins Creed Valhalla review.
Yep. That’s the title of the review and also the ultimate conclusion of my Cyberpunk 2077 review too. I’ve had my Xbox One since… well I’m not sure, to be honest. It’s been a long long time though I do think it’s time I made the jump to the PlayStation 5. Anyway, my point is that in all those years of owning my Xbox I’ve never once had to find out if I could get a refund for a digital game purchase. I just forked out €69.99 for Cyberpunk 2077 and after a rough hour of trying to play it I turned to Google to ask if I could get a refund for games bought on Xbox.
What Is Cyberpunk 2077?
Cyberpunk 2077 was, I’ll admit, a very ambitious game. It was even being touted by some as the game of the century. Now, I know what you’re thinking. “Marty, did you get overly excited by this game and it let you down?”. No, actually. I didn’t. Cyberpunk 2077 has been announced, teased and maybe even delayed since 2013 so many have been on a long journey waiting for it. Me? Well, I only really learned about it a few months back.
I’m not sure how it flew under my radar either. It’s everything I should want from a game. Dystopian, open world, guns and all that good stuff. Yet, it managed to completely fail to impress everywhere. It actually left me feeling a little ill and just generally stressed. I’ve never felt this in a game before.
Cyberpunk 2077: Why It’s Awful
Here’s why I got a refund for Cyberpunk 2077.
Dated Graphics
I’m still rocking my Xbox One and haven’t moved to Next Gen yet, though I do plan to pick up a PlayStation 5 shortly after I get my COVID-19 vaccination. I do think it might be in that order!
When I booted up Cyberpunk 2077, I was underwhelmed. After a few minutes, I was disappointed and after an hour I was howling laughing. The graphics jump between bang average to god awful fairly regularly. This is a legit in-game screengrab that I captured. N64 GoldenEye fans – this is for you.
A screengrab from Cyberpunk 2077 showing rendering issues.
I don’t know whether to cry or laugh. Just before I went looking for my refund I checked out if this was just me and it’s absolutely not. I’m not sure how this happened with a game announced seven years ago, but it appears that Cyberpunk 2077 got Keanu Reeves on-board and rushed the game for Christmas 2020.
Cyberpunk 2077 doesn’t look as good as the 1997 PC game, Bladerunner.
Jamie, 2020.
Remember I said I’m a big fan of the whole dystopian genre? Well, I won’t lie. I had hopes for this game to be a bit of a Blade Runner instalment. A game I played to death when I was younger was the 1997 adventure game adaption of Blade Runner. My good friend Jamie is also a big fan of that game and he passed a remark which I’m still giggling about.
Cyberpunk 2077 doesn’t look as good as the 1997 PC game, Bladerunner.
He’s right too.
When you take into account how far we’ve come with technology, I agree. The 1997 Bladerunner game is more impressive.
Of course, there’s more to Cyberpunk 2077 than slow rendering graphics, but when they do render perfectly, they’re still unimpressive or downright disappointing.
A fully rendered screenshot that isn’t much better.
I’m not going to keep going on about it, but for this screenshot, I stood in the same spot. Waiting. Waiting for everything to get better but instead, I was thrown back to my memories of my Xbox 360. It’s left me wondering where the Cyberpunk 2077 Twitter account is getting their renders from because they’re substantially better. PC I’m guessing based on this Tweet.
I’m not trying to hide the fact that I only played this game for about an hour. It’s literally all I could stomach. While the graphics were the first thing to leave me with raised eyebrows. The gameplay isn’t much better. In fact, in might be worse.
It’s usual for games to bring you through some tutorials and the likes at the start, but I felt so super unengaged with Cyberpunk 2077’s attempt to learn the controls and gameplay features. While these bits are often a bit boring and repetitive, this intro felt totally laboured and drawn out. Lots of reading and still bits of explanations not clear left me fairly confused as the game started.
I wasn’t all that clear about what the story line was to be either.
Dialogue
I was going to lump this into gameplay but let’s address this separately. The dialogue is awful too. The voice acting left me, again, feeling like I was watching a poorly directed movie. I saw there’s an option to skip forced sections of dialogue but I resisted. Simply put, I was trying to give this game every chance in the world to not be awful
But nothing could save it. The graphics and renders, sure, maybe a update patch could fix that. Nothing is going to fix the gameplay and dialogue.
Only one thing remained. Could I get a refund?
Getting A Refund For Games Bought On Xbox
Like I said, I’ve never had to look into this before but Cyberpunk 2077 left my massively disappointed. I was immediately looking into how I would get my money back. I know Steam allows refunds on games within the first two hours of gameplay. So I looked into it.
I found a refunds page from Microsoft for digital purchases. All I had to do was log into my Xbox account using the same details as my console and request a refund. It’s not clear what requirements I met to trigger the refund but it was quick. I received an email saying the support ticket was open after my refund was processed.
One thing which is made clear on the page is that purchases outside of 14 days rarely qualify for refunds. So if you’re left with severe buyer’s remorse after downloading Cyberpunk 2077, here’s your way out.
Cyberpunk 2077: The Verdict
I take zero pleasure in writing reviews like this. I can only imagine the unbelievable amount of work that it takes to produce a game over seven years. I’m sure there’s been massive pressure and no-one in CD Projekt Red set out to make a poor game. But, at the same time, I was left gutted that I’d parted with €70 for this. In fact, if it weren’t for the money I wouldn’t have lasted as long playing it as I did.
This is a massive case of buyer beware. Could this game be better with a patch? Maybe. Is it ok on PC? I’m not sure. The good thing is that you might be able to get a refund if you simply can’t resist it. But if you’re thinking that you’ve found the perfect Blade Runner and Fallout mashup, think again.
The PlayStation 5 is finally here! Well, kind of. A shortage of stock on launch day has meant that, for a lot of people, the next generation of console gaming is still some time away. However, Sony has confirmed that more units will reach Irish shores before Christmas. Tesco has already started calling people who missed out on the initial first round to confirm that they will be receiving some of this latest batch. But for those of us who were lucky enough to secure a pre-order the future is now. So here it is, the good the bad and the mind-blowing of Sony’s latest console.
Introduction To Sony’s Next-Gen
Let’s get the biggest downside of any new console out of the way, the price. As we broke you, what feels like many moons ago, the PS5 ain’t cheap. The disc version of the PS5 will run you €500, with the disc-free version only being €100 less at €400 and we at Goosed.ie reckon this version is the best value for money of this current generation of consoles. For half a grand you would expect the PS5 to be a true revelation in terms of what it can offer the player and I can confirm that it absolutely is (probably more than Apple’s headphones will be).
My Life With The PlayStation 5
As a disclaimer, this review will focus on the disc version, but rest assured that outside the obvious lack of an optical drive and a requirement for a lively internet connection, there’s no difference between either version of the console.
Unboxing and Setup
Getting the PS5 home and out of the box, I noticed one thing immediately. It’s big. Like, really big. At nearly 40cm tall it probably won’t fit in many TV units (mine is on top, next to my TV). As with every PlayStation since the PS2 you’re given the option to stand it upright or on its side. Thankfully, the stand that comes with the console can be ingeniously configured to support either. Personally, I prefer the upright look, the sleek curves of the outer shells flanking the powerful core of the machine. It’s clear from the moment you start it up that this shape is designed with one thing in mind.
Cooling.
The fan runs whisper-quiet most of the time with little to no heat coming from the top, sides or back of the console. Already a massive improvement over the PS4’s jet-engine like run volume.
Even Higher Definition
As with practically anything that connects to your TV the PS5 comes with its own HDMI cable. However, this isn’t your dad’s HDMI. This is HDMI 2.1. This is the true secret to the PS5’s graphical prowess. Put simply, this is the next step in HD technology, with the cable being capable of transmitting resolutions of up to 10K at a rate of 120 frames per second. Not many TVs support this yet, but it’s a great piece of futureproofing on Sony’s part to get themselves ready for the next leap in display technology.
One call out though. The cable is a bit short, so if you’ve had to manoeuvre your console into an odd position you might be going online to find a longer cable.
I’m In: Let’s Get Gaming
Once the system is on, the setup couldn’t be simpler. If you already have a PSN account just pop in your details and you’re away, or you’ll be prompted to set one up via a couple of quick text boxes. If you have a PS4 and want to transfer over your downloaded or installed games (as well as any save data that hasn’t been uploaded to the cloud) the PS5 gives you this option too and you can either transfer over your own Wifi or via a network cable (Sony recommend this option so as to keep the transfer nice and quick!).
My only complaint about this process is the need to switch between your HDMI channels to initiate the transfer on both consoles. For some users, this may even mean connecting and disconnecting each system in turn if your display only has one HDMI port. But once you’re happy with your setup you’re right into the menu and ready to enjoy!
The Same but Different
The main menu is not too dissimilar to the PS4’s, though it’s a little more streamlined and easier to navigate (there are separate menus for games and media for example). As before, your most recent apps are kept in a mini timeline at the top with more available on the far right in a larger menu. One very welcome addition is a new PS+ section that allows you to download your monthly games directly from there (as well as the new PS+ Collection which I’ll get to in a bit). In fact, the store is now integrated seamlessly into the menu as well, instead of being a separate app that was more complicated than it needed to be on the PS4.
PS5 Games At Launch
You may have seen that the PS5 comes with a “pack-in” game, Astro’s Playroom. Kind of like why Windows ships with Solitair, the “pack in” game demos the console’s capabilities. If you’re like me and had already bought a game like Spider-man to play on day-one you may have initially skipped this little distraction.
But I’m telling you right now that I made a mistake.
Even though it’s really just a tech demo to show off the capabilities of the new Dualsense controller, it really is a fully-fledged game. After a quick introduction to all the new features of the new controller you’re launched into the CPU plaza, a hub world that allows you to go to one of four larger worlds that are based on the different parts of the PS5’s internal hardware; GPU Jungle, SSD Speedway, Memory Meadow and Cooling Springs (the fact that the system’s cooling was given its own zone is another hint that it was a major focus for the console).
Trust me this is a great experience that really shows off the capabilities of the new Dualsense. It was reminiscent of a short Spyro game if I’m being honest! And the final Easter Egg awarded for completion is absolutely worth the hour or so it takes to complete!
Next Gen Through and Through
When it comes to the main event though, the PS5 really lives up to its next-gen gaming reputation. As we shared here, Spider-Man Remastered is a promising look at what we can expect from the PS5 in the graphics department as a direct comparison to its predecessor.
PlayStation 5 (Left) | PlayStation 4 (Right)
Similarly, the 12 seconds it takes to load the game from the PS5 menu is staggeringly quick. This is even more impressive when you consider a good 4 or 5 seconds at least is taken up by Marvel and Insomniac’s branding splash screens, so the true load time is probably even faster!
Control Freak
Let’s step away from the console and focus on the controller. Some commentators have said that there are two next-gen consoles but only one next-gen controller and I have to say, they’re right! The Dualsense is almost unrecognisable next to its predecessor. The white and black motif of the main console carries over to the controller, as opposed to the flat black of the Dualshock 4. There’s more heft to it too, weighing a full 70 grams more than the PS4’s offering. It also fits far better in the hand thanks to a slightly bulkier design.
As someone who prefers a bigger heavier controller (I use the X360 Special edition controller for my PC gaming because it’s heavier), it really feels that the Dualsense was designed with me in mind. The piece de resistance from a design perspective though is that the textured grip on the handles is actually made up of thousands of tiny PlayStation button symbols the mainstay buttons of the PlayStation controller. Something that you’d barely notice but is a gorgeous detail, nonetheless.
It’s What’s on the Inside that Counts
This thing is jam-packed with tech. The speaker and touchpad from the Dualshock 4 are back again with a slight improvement in quality. A microphone has even been added above the speaker, so you won’t necessarily need a headset if you’re chatting to your friends in a party. The lightbar has now been split in two, flanking the touchpad in the centre. The charging port has also been upgraded to USB-C, the current charging standard. All nice to haves, but inside is where the Dualsense really comes into its own. It’s been equipped with a new Haptic Rumble feature not dissimilar to the Nintendo Switch’s HD Rumble feature. This really goes a long way to immerse you in the gaming experience. From the buzzing of Spider-Man’s phone to Astro’s footsteps on the sand of Cooling Springs, every different action gives a different vibration that draws you into the world you’re playing in.
Hashtag Triggered
These improvements all go a long way to help the Dualsense cement its place as the best controller on the market right now (a topic that’s hotly debated in the gaming community) but the real showstoppers here are the adaptive triggers. A first in gaming tech, the L2 and R2 buttons now recognise the current state of a game you’re playing and will become harder or easier to pull depending on the situation.
So, putting tension in spring in Astro’s Playroom will cause the triggers to be harder and harder to pull, while free-running as Spider-Man will see them pull towards the controller with ease! It’s going to be thrilling to see how this is used in some of Sony’s big first-party titles. Aloy’s bow in Horizon springs to mind or changing how far Kratos might throw his axe in God of War: Ragnarok, and who knows what it’ll be used for in Ratchet and Clank, chaotic as that series is! We do know that everything the Dualsense has going for it will make for some of the most riveting gameplay experiences of the coming years.
Final Touches
Xbox fans will probably point to the PS5’s lack of a “Quick Resume” feature as one of its weaknesses in the newly renewed console wars and they kind of have a point. Quick Resume is seriously impressive. However, PS5 has something that I would say is even more useful. The Activities feature. As someone who plays a lot of open-world games, I often get frustrated with the sometimes hundreds of objectives scattered across the map with no easy or timely way of reaching them.
Those days are a thing of the past now. The Activities tab in the PS5’s game menu allows you to jump into any mission or side-quest you’ve unlocked at the touch of a couple of buttons. For example, in Spider-Man the Activities tab suggested I do a Demon Gang Warehouse mission and even though I was halfway across the map, it let me skip the journey, the preamble and even the repetitive cutscene and get right into the action. Take that, Microsoft!
Never Too Late to Join the Party
The PS5 is even a perfect starting point for new players, offering near-complete backwards compatibility with PS4 games as well as the new PS+ Collection I mentioned earlier. The PS+ Collection is, quite simply, twenty games that Sony has selected as the best titles of the previous generation (it’s no Xbox Gamepass but Sony seem to be building up to retaliate on that front soon). They range from First-Person Shooters like Call Of Duty or Battlefield to story-driven epics like God of War or The Last of Us (check out the full list here). These titles can be played whenever you like as long as you have an active PS+ subscription, and they all reap the full benefit of the PS5’s lightning-fast load times and graphical prowess. An absolute must for new players, as well as any returning players who may have missed a title or two on the PS4.
PlayStation 5: The Verdict
With the hope of more units coming to Ireland in the coming weeks and Sony’s jam-packed release schedule for 2021, there has never been a better time to start thinking about upgrading from your old gaming rig or starting afresh in the current generation. From the jaw-dropping graphics and the blink and you’ll miss it load speeds to the wealth of innovations in the controller and a best-of from years passed at your fingertips from the get-go the possibilities really are endless. It comes as no surprise that the PS5 is living up to every measure of its marketing slogan. Play has no limits.
Recently I wrote about another Lenovo laptop, the Yoga Slim, the under €1,000 work from home machine, this time around I’ve gotten my hands on what could be described as the business beast in the new Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 which retails around the €1,400 mark. This is as you might have guessed the 8th generation of their ThinkPad range, a series which has earned rave reviews down the years as one of the best performing business class laptops on the market. As a durable, lightweight and strong performing laptop, I guess the only question is how does this Core i5 rendition stack up?
Design
So I was testing the €1,400 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 a machine with a solid spec sheet, look at this:
1.7GHz Core i5-10310U processor
256GB NVMe solid-state drive
8GB of memory
HD (1,920-by-1,080-pixel) non-touch IPS display
You can go for 3 higher spec models which improve things like the screen, to a 1080p touchscreen to a 4K Dolby Vision HDR 400 display and increase memory to 16gb and storage to 1Tb so if it’s the company paying of course that extra space is going to be handy, tbh I find 256GB a little light if you ask me.
Anywho, onto the design and if you’ve seen the ThinkPad range in the past you know what to expect. A stylish, super lightweight machine that is both visually appealing yet functional. It kind of looks 90% the same as last years machine with some minor changes. For example the hood now has a big ole X1 emblazoned beneath the ThinkPad logo. That’s really the main difference in the visuals, but it was lovely in the first place so if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
We get the now signature red accents around the tracking point, the left and right buttons and finger sensor with a couple of nice speakers around the hinge point. There are two finished you can get, the matte black or carbon, the carbon finish is really slick as the patterned effect really makes the device feel great, look great and makes the features surrounding stand out that bit more. It’s a very sleek design, but that same surface gathers fingerprints galore so if you’re like me you’ll find yourself wiping the ThinkPad down every couple of hours.
There can be a problem with some of the “ultralight” laptops on the market, in that they don’t feel very durable or can flex at the corners, but thankfully the carbon finish ads some real steel in making a machine that feels durable at 2.5 pounds. We also get a thin machine in the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 with just enough room to jam an array of ports down the sides:
2 Thunderbolt 3 ports
USB 3.2 Type-A port
HDMI video output
headphone/microphone jack
USB-A 3.2 port
Kensington cable-lockdown slot
Sim Tray
Performance
I got my hands on the ThinkPad X1 Carbon with an Intel Core i5-10310U with vPro CPU and 8GB of RAM and it worked a charm. W
The Intel Core i5 processor is the perfect partner for your standard working tasks, this ain’t no design specialist laptop let me be clear here, but for documents, Microsoft Office, Google Sheets, standard applications and the internet browsers, you will have enough horsepower to get through your day and then some. Interestingly, the new X1 Carbon notched almost identical scores as the previous 7th Gen model in most benchmarking tests. Thankfully there are some upgrades with the Gen 8 sporting much faster storage, with the 256GB SSD converting-a 5GB file in 6.5 seconds for a transfer rate of 783 megabytes per second!
There were some brief slowdowns but then again I really took the piss with nearly 60 tabs open at one point just to push the machine to it’s limit, although I do average about 30-40 at go..I know right. Anyway, if you browse the web using the RAM-hungry Chrome browser, consider spending extra for 16GB of memory
Again this laptop at €1,400 is not trying to be a match for the MacBooks of the world nor should anyone expect that, what you get is a more than solid performer at the price point and one of the best business laptops on the market in this price point.
Graphics
The graphics on the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 are more than acceptable, this is a machine relying on integrated UHD graphics and it delivers. Again this is not a dedicated gamers machine so don’t expect miracles if you’re trying to play heavy hitting titles through your laptop. Any day to day task, photoshop, standard games, Netflix and anything else there is more than enough bang for your buck here, but anyone who is looking at playing high end games maybe the X1 Extreme or a dedicated gamer laptop is more your end. I personally have a HP Omen 17 just for that but then again its nearly €2,000 so as per anything if you don’t need the extra graphics why bother paying more when the Lenovo has more than enough to get the job done.
Pricing
In short, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 is made to be easy, efficient and stylish. But its rugged as hell with all ThinkPad series laptops tested to 12 military-grade specifications and has undergone more than 200 quality tests to ensure it works in extreme conditions. So no matter what you do, you can take your computer with you, not bad for a machine that comes in at €1,400.
Battery
Their are a couple of different models of the Thinkpad X1 Carbon Gen 8, with prices going up to €1,900 for better memory and battery but as it was the standard model we are testing, this machine was rocking a 51Wh battery with claims that you should get about 1.95 hours of usage. Again using the same testing as the Yoga Slim…which was basically handle my workday, meaning it had to handle all these or multiple at a go:
WI – FI Always on
Chrome – with a buttload of tabs including sheets, presentations, Google Ads, FB Business Manager, Video editor, Mailchimp Canva ( I work in digital marketing if anyone wonders why I have such a random array of tabs)
Spotify
Google Teams
At one point watched some lunchtime Netflix
Photoshop
Dreamweaver
After Effects
Basically I would be a heavy user so no you’re not get 19 hours of usage in reality but I got about 10 so most users will get more juice out of their ThinkPad than I would. TBH I can’t see it being a problem for most folks workdays or work flights or catching up on bits as you go. I can’t see this being the laptop of the everyday user, but my god as a lightweight, portable design for business then this is ideal.
The Goosed Verdict
The latest Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon Gen 8 is if i’m totally honest a minor upgrade on the previous machine which already pretty god dam good. Like if you have the Gen 7 model already or need to spend a few pennies less than go with the Gen 7 over the new model, the differences are rather minor. The Thinkpad certainly ain’t cheap at €1,400 but to be honest it’s well worth the money for what you get back. Something like this probably isn’t for the standard user and I know myself I can hardly be called that but the Thinkpad X1 Carbon Gen 8 certainly had enough firepower in the tank to keep me working.
In terms of looks it will be hard to tell a Gen 7 and 8 model apart but the best recommendation I can give is this…if you’re in the market for a new business laptop – especially if the company are paying then this is quite possibly the best business laptop on the market right now.
Not long ago I was testing not 1 but 2 different Lenovo laptops. We get to try out a bunch of tech in Goosed Tower but it’s not everyday we get a couple of high powered laptops landing on our desks to play with. Let me start with the Lenovo Yoga slim 7 retailing for about €900. Anyone who is on the lookout for a slim and lightweight laptop, the Lenovo Yoga slim series has always been high in the mind of the consumer due to reliable performance, portable design and reasonable pricing.
I was working with the Yoga Slim 7 14″ Core i5 model and I thought the best move for me was to use this for my standard WFH day to see how it stacked up.
Design
I think we can all accept than when it came to slimline and sexy performance laptops, the MacBook has always been seen as the standard bearer. Windows generally have been bit bulkier, something which has been changing over the last couple of years but you can really see the inspiration in the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7. It’s shockingly light, the colours are lovely and at 14″ it handily fit into my schoolbag for a wander out the road without adding bulk.
We get an aluminium body with a plastic base, the bonnet as I’ll call it carried the logo and just the overall tactile feel is lovely, really adding a touch of style to what could otherwise be very boring. Around the body we get a very slim surface, the bare minimum space required to hold all the necessary ports where there are plenty:
USB 3.2 Type-C port
Type-C port
Two USB 3.2 Type-A ports
Microphone combo jack
Micro SD card
That’s all the ports, because the Yoga Slim 7 is charged with USB C and onboard we get WI-FI 5 and Bluetooth 5.0. Pop the Yogo Slim 7 open and we come to the main bit of meat, the interior is slick, Qwerty keyboard with large buttons and backlighting with a rather large track pad. It’s large given the actual size of the laptop but you could say Lenovo know their audience here, its all about that work functionality.On the keyboard, the Yoga Slim as I mentioned has some big chunky buttons, its a design functionality that helps space out letters, add a bit of tactile feedback and reduce the chances of hitting the wrong key, minimising speed based errors.
We also get two large speakers sitting either side of the keypad that generate plenty sound, much louder than my more expensive HP Envy. The screen itself is full glass rather than plastic which might be a problem with scratches and the likes but again its lovely to look at. Above the display we get our HD webcam and some IR sensors that bring in a Face_ID which is a cool added feature. Not bad in a teeny machine that weighs just over a Kg.
Performance & Display
The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 just works. The Intel Core i5 processor is the perfect partner for your standard working tasks, this ain’t no design specialist laptop let me be clear here, but for documents, Microsoft Office, Google Sheets, standard applications and the internet browsers, you will have enough horsepower to get through your day.
As I said this is no high powered, super expensive performance machine, this is office work and standard entertainment, ideal for the vast majority of users if we are being totally honest. Right now writing this I have 33 tabs open, across 2 screens and the mini beast keeps ticking over not a bother on it. I will say it would be nice to have extra storage, personally 512GB just doesn’t cut the mustard in the long term.
Again this laptop at €800-900 is not trying to be a match for the MacBooks and Alienware’s of the world nor should anyone expect that, what you get is a more than solid performer at the price point and with the MX350 GPU you do get enough sauce to play some games like Football Manager 21 or even something a bit juicier like Fornite, but defo not a replacement for a gaming machine if that’s what you had in mind.
We also thought the IR based facial recognition was rather nifty, plop in front of the screen and on comes the sensors and camera to let you in, takes about a second or two an is safer and about as fast and using a Pin lock.
In terms of the display the Yoga Slim is a 14″ 1080p HD display, which is perfect for a working from home machine. Colours pop and regardless of whether you’re editing, scrolling YouTube or generally pottering around online, visuals won’t be a problem.
Battery Power
The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 is sporting a battery that claims to give you 14 hours of juice from the 60.7Wh battery, this is never the case but I did get around 10, which is about what I would expect and you should easily clear a work day without having to reach for the charger. That’s also given the amount of usage I would have. At one point in time I had the following open in one work day, just to give you an idea of the power we got:
WI – FI Always on
Chrome – with a buttload of tabs including sheets, presentations, Google Ads, FB Business Manager, Video editor, Mailchimp Canva ( I work in digital marketing if anyone wonders why I have such a random array of tabs)
Spotify
Google Teams
At one point watched some lunchtime Netflix
Basically I would be a heavy user and this was able to do everything I needed but I would still bring the charger with me going anywhere, just incase. But to be honest it takes about 40mins to get 50% of charge or just about an hour and half for a full charge which is more than acceptable.
The Goosed Verdict
Laptops generally cost bank, we all need them for these work from home lives so it’s no surprise they are some of the most expensive home items. Something like the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 is going to more than do the job done, sure tis a tad more expensive than most what I would call standard work from home machines that retail about €600-700 but with the extra money you get better design, better battery, sound and display.. so all the key components. Oh and it looks really nice, the perfect all rounder laptop for the everyday user.
I don’t normally cover announcements. I’m more of a review guy but being honest, I’m not sure I’ll even need to review these headphones to arrive at a conclusion. Apple has teased a pair of headphones for years to join their popular AirPod family. Today, they’ve launched the AirPods Max. Don’t let the name fool you. These are headphones.
Features Of The AirPods Max
The first thing I want to emphasise here is that these are not “pods” or “buds”. The AirPods Max are over-ear headphones. This is the same odd decision Huawei took last month when they launched the FreeBuds Studio. Again, not “buds” but an excellent pair of over-ear headphones.
Apple’s AirPods Max headphones are entering the market at an interesting time as people working from home are looking to zone into their work. Also, some, not all, people have a little bit more disposable income and are looking around for the best over-ear headphones to buy. Here’s what the Apple AirPods Max Offer
AirPods Max Don’t Work With Android
At least, this is what Apple suggests. In their release notes, Apple states you’ll need an Apple device running iOS 14.3 or later, iPadOS 14.3 or later, macOS Big Sur 11.1 or later, watchOS 7.2 or later, or tvOS 14.3 or later. All Apple-only devices. Now, I have a feeling they’ll still work with any other Bluetooth device with some functionality loss, but given the price, you’d be wanting everything to work.
Custom Acoustic Design
Apple leads with design here and that’s no surprise. Apple design is usually what gets people for hand over some extra moola. The AirPods Max promise a breathable knit mesh canopy, spanning the headband to deliver great weight distribution and reduce on-head pressure. A stainless steel headband frame should be strong but flexibly suiting all head sizes.
The Digital Crown takes inspiration from Apple Watch and allows on-headphone volume control and the ability to play or pause audio, skip tracks, answer or end phone calls, and activate Siri.
They’re Sound
AirPods Max uses Adaptive EQ to adjust the sound to the fit and seal of the ear cushions by measuring the sound signal delivered to a user and adjusting the low and mid-frequencies in realtime
As you might expect, AirPods Max offer Active Noise Cancellation so users can focus on what they are listening to. Each ear cup features three outward-facing microphones to detect environmental noise, while one microphone inside the ear cup monitors the sound reaching the listener’s ear.
With AirPods Max, users can switch to Transparency mode to simultaneously listen to music while hearing the environment around them — ensuring everything, including a user’s own voice, sounds natural while audio plays perfectly. Switching between Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency mode can be done with a single press using the noise control button.
AirPods Max use spatial audio with dynamic head tracking to place sounds virtually anywhere in a space delivering an immersive, theatre-like experience for content recorded in 5.1, 7.1, and Dolby Atmos.
A while back I reviewed the Sennheiser Momentum 3 headphones. A nice pair of headphones but simply too expensive considering how many great pairs of headphones are on the market for cheaper.
Apple’s headphones will have a niche audience and maybe they’ll deliver a premium experience never seen before. I can’t personally see any way to justify a pair of headphones from Apple at that price, but maybe that’s just me? That’s the bulk of an outlay on a phone itself! You could be asking yourself “which iPhone should I buy” instead of “should I fork out over €600 on headphones”.
Gotta love Covid… no, no we don’t, this year has brought more challenges to our day to day lives than the whole of the last decade before it. Things we took for granted poof, gone, and for many in retail it has been an incredibly tough year. Companies need to adapt and one such company has done just that and using your mobile phone or tablet, bring EZ Living Furniture’s catalogue of virtual furniture into your home with a new augmented reality app. Meaning shopping for furniture perfect for your home, while being at home is now a reality. So whether its chairs, bed, lights or whatever you can virtually try before you buy!
EZ Living have collaborated with the Augmented Reality (AR) firm Intiaro to create an app that is engaging, immersive and Covid safe, because that’s a thing now. This AR app, available on any smartphone or tablet, is the first of its kind in Ireland.
Users can explore more than 800 EZ Living Furniture products and can place and view virtual (available for purchase) items in their homes all with the touch of a fingertip. They can experiment with different positions and angles and customise with ease. Users can add, remove or rearrange items, even onto panoramic images to experiment with multiple layouts. Just pick what you like, point your phone at the place you want to put it and choose the colour you want to get a virtual look at your place with this new piece of kit in place.
We reckon apps like this are going to become an integral part of retail in the future and something like this you can even share the pics and clips you take with your significant other before making a decision on your big home purchase. It’s really as simple as point and shoot to see how that sofa or bedside locker will look in your room, you can even do a walkaround to be really sure before you buy.
The EZ AR app allows you to view life-sized pieces of furniture in your room and all products are available to purchase from their online store. Available on Google PlayStore and Apple App Store
