threeSpeak

I’ll bet you’re all feeling pretty damned silly right now.

Yes, you – the naysayers, the doom mongers, the doubters. Everyone that pored over Japanese sales figures desperately watching the download slope and rubbing their hands with some kind of twisted, discordant glee.  Everyone that decided Uncharted: Golden Abyss was utter shit because it didn’t kick out the appropriate number of pixels.

Everyone that wanted PS Vita to fall on its arse before giving it any kind of chance.

FIFA’s key in Europe, and EA’s latest footy title is being well received.

Guess what? From where I’m sitting it’s doing all kinds of goodness in every circle of friends I can witness. Yes, the UI needs a bit of tweaking, and yes some of the games are somewhat overpriced. But you know what, as a console launch I can’t think of one that’s created as much buzz and excitement and had such a comprehensively strong line-up of top tier games.

Uncharted’s bloody brilliant, WipEout’s magical, Everybody’s Golf’s super addictive, FIFA looks and plays like FIFA and MotorStorm came from absolutely nowhere and is being rightly critically acclaimed for its impressive price and some genre-leading asynchronous gameplay – Sony have courted the right developers, enticed the right publishers and, just when it really mattered, on launch week, got their marketing in gear.

And there’s every possibility that it’s all paid off.

We’ll know for sure once those all important figures come out (and the cheap headlines fall over themselves to be the most sensationalist and embarrassingly dramatic) but around me, on Twitter and across the big forums the Vita is alive with the sound of ringing cash tills and that hugely important first week of frantic chatter, tales of midnight queues and hundreds of pounds worth of haul photos.

You know what? Sony might just have done it. In a market that has gradually gone the way of games that cost eighty pennies and last less than that in minutes, Vita’s come along and said – hey, listen – delivering on the promise of console-quality gaming on the go. And arguably for the first time, too – the Vita’s games look almost as good and play almost exactly like they do on PS3, and that’s some achievement.

Uncharted’s brilliant, which ever way you look at it.

At the last minute, then, everything came together.  Distributors got the games out to the stores (well, those with money), Sony’s team of online managers got the PSN Store stacked with everything available and there’s a range of price points and demos to ensure that everyone gets their chance to just play some games. I can’t see how all this can be anything more than a success from here.

So, yes, over the next months we’ll probably see the figures slope downward, that’s inevitable after a launch, but they won’t be because of the Vita itself or the efforts of Sony. The mobile market’s a notoriously different prospect now, one with a landscape and user base that has changed massively since the PSP came along, but it doesn’t react now to Sony’s new machine then it never will do. Vita, then, is the shot in the arm that it needed.

I really, really want the Vita to do well. I want it to show that people are prepared to pay for games that offer intrinsically good long term value, to show developers and publishers that it’s worth investing in, and to show everyone that decided this thing was going to be a failure from day one that – well – they were wrong.

Next Generation Portable?  I’d say so.

This is your life. Do what you love, and do it often. If you don’t like your job, quit. If you don’t have enough time, stop watching TV. If you are looking for the love of your life, stop; they will be waiting for you when you start doing the things you love. Stop over analyzing, life is simple. All emotions are beautiful. When you eat, appreciate every last bite. Open your mind, arms, and heart to new things and people, we are all united in our differences. Travel often; getting lost will help you find yourself. Some opportunities only come once, seize them. Life is about the people you meet, and the things you create with them so go out and start creating. Life is short.

One of the best things about playing games online is that you get to interact with people from all over the world, here are some top tips that will help you to bond with your fellow gamers.

5. Don’t be afraid to share your feelings with other players.

Let’s say you’re playing a team deathmatch, you and a teammate are hiding in ambush, you spot an enemy coming your way and decide to take him out but then disaster strikes, you have to reload! Your teammate then seizes the oppertunity and takes the kill for himself. You feel hurt, but what should you do? Bottle it all up inside you right?…WRONG! |You must explain to your teammate that his actions hurt your feelings, he will respect you a whole lot more for it.

4. Rub your character up against the other player’s character.

This is a great way of showing affection, although it can be embarrassing to do it infront of other players. A good idea is to lure the player to a secluded part of the map, you could say that you found an awsome secret. Once you reach your destination and you’re sure that the coast is clear, just start slowly rubbing your character up against the other player’s, you’ll be amazed how effective it is.

3. Always be first on the scene to assist the other player.

Your teammate is down and needs assistance, hurry to his location and revive him. he will remember your kindness for the rest of his life. To seal the deal send a friend request as soon as he’s back on his feet.

2. Mimic the other player’s actions.

Everyone knows that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, mimic your fellow player’s actions and there will be a friend request coming your way in no time. The other player accidentally falls of a cliff, you fall of a cliff, if the other player says something over his mic just repeat every word he says, it never fails.

1. Talk to the other player.

Amazing isn’t it, the most effective tip is also the easiest, talk to them. Tell them about the funny article you read in the paper, tell them about your dog’s recent trip to the vet, send them messages telling them that you like their gamer pic, you’ll be best pals in no time.

I really hope these tips help you guys out and hey, you’ve always got a friend in me.

I am annoying :)

Since taking delivery of my pen I have been very happy with the quality of ink deposition on the various types of paper that I have used. On the first day when I excitedly unwrapped my pen (thanks for the high quality packaging Amazon!) I just couldn’t contain my excitement and went around finding things to write on, like the shopping list on the notice board in our kitchen, the Post-it notes next to the phone, and on my favourite lined A4 pad at the side of my desk. 

My pen is the transparent type with a blue lid. I selected this one in preference to the orange type because I like to be able to see how much ink I have left so that I can put in another order before I finally run out. 

When the initial excitement of taking delivery of my new pen started to wear off I realised that I shouldn’t just write for the fun of it, this should be a serious enterprise, so by the second day of ownership I started to take a little more care of what I wrote. I used it to sign three letters, and in each case was perfectly happy with the neatness of handwriting that I was able to achieve. 

I have a helpful tip for you that you might not know about - if you let the ink dry for a few seconds you can avoid the smudging that sometimes happens if you rub the ink immediately after writing. Fortunately the ink used in this particular Bic pen seems to dry very quickly. 

On the third day of ownership I went on a trip to Dublin and took my pen carefully packed away in my brief case, but I needn’t have worried, this isn’t some temperamental ink pen that leaks when you store it at the wrong angle. I sat at my meeting and confidently removed the cap from my pen and it wrote flawlessly, almost immediately. 

I notice that the barrel of the pen has been crafted very carefully to fit in the pen holder down the edge of my book spine. It’s not so grippy so that it is hard to remove when I want to make a quick note, and yet not so loose that it falls out too easily when I open my Filofax in a hurry. Maybe the choice of surface texture on the pen has some part to play here, because it seems that the inside of the leather grip on the pen holder in my Filofax has just the right level of adhesion that I can be confident when I need to reach in and get my pen it’s going to be just where I left it! 

Today is the fourth day of ownership of my pen, and I have to say I’m starting to treat it like an old friend. I walk around the house with it clipped in to my shirt pocket and someone in my family actually asked to borrow it while we were both standing at the photocopier. Would you believe it, they actually tried to walk away with my pen! They were very embarrassed when I called after them as they walked down the corridor and asked for it back. You will be happy to know that it is now back, safe and sound in my top pocket, ready and waiting to start writing again. 

In summary, I would happily recommend this pen to anyone who is planning on writing on paper. If you are considering a writing implement for some other surface such as writing on a CD, or other non-porous substances then another pen might be better suited, but if it’s just plain old paper then I think you will probably be well served by this particular model.

Coming soon :)