The short answer is: no, of course you do not. If you have a laptop, a large phone, or even an iPad that's several years old, a new iPad is hardly a must-have device. Likewise, there are plenty of cheaper, "good enough" tablets: Amazon and Android tablets can be found at prices that approach free, especially during the holiday season.
However, the iPad is still a fantastic gadget for quick, beautiful on-the-go access to just about anything. Email, Facebook, games, videos, apps and apps and apps galore. The internet, in general.
Do We Need PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2016?
The thing with old technology, that one time was state-of-the-art, is that it becomes time-tested over the years. Lot of kinks are eventually fixed and the tech becomes all the more reliable and durable. You know the regular slim PS3 may just work better out of the box than the PS4 units that were released on launch. They had the Blue Light of Death, which meant your PS4 was defective and needed to go back to Sony. Xbox One had issues with its optical drive, so if you were one of the unlucky gamers, you would have gotten upset and then just went back to your last-gen console.
Those old machines have way more games than the PS4 and Xbox One can dream of having. Now, when we talk of the Xbox One, the backwards compatibility feature has allowed over 100 selected Xbox 360 titles to be playable at no cost. However, that’s just a fraction of the entire catalog. There are more titles on the Xbox 360 that are not backwards compatible, thus you would need the actual console to play the games. The Xbox 360 faced many growing pains, such as the "red ring of death," but withstood the trials and tribulations. It's still a robust and durable console today.
The PS3 is also a fantastic machine even today. It “only does everything” as the marketing taglines used to say “back in the day.” In truth, the PS3 plays games, DVDs, Blu-rays, CDs steams content from your PC and even stores music, videos, and photos. It’s a reliable piece of hardware now and we prefer the slim models over the later super-slim versions. There are so many awesome games on the PS3 going all the way back to 2006. One can still play "Heavenly Sword," which was one of the PS3’s earliest titles. "Grand Theft Auto 4," do you remember that? The title is still available only on the PS3 and Xbox 360. GTA V was also released on it first, along with the Xbox 360. The cherry on top with the PS3 is that you don't need a PlayStation Plus subscription to play online multiplayer, which is required on the PS4.
One can argue that the entire "Uncharted" series has been remastered on the PS4, as part of “The Nathan Drake Collection,” but why would you bother if you own a PS3 and still have the original games? To be honest, we wouldn’t because there’s something romantic about playing video games on the hardware it was first released on. It’s not fun playing the original Sonic games on any console other than the Genesis for example, no matter how many graphical upgrades they get.
When all is said and done, there will be a time to bid farewell to the PS3 and Xbox 360. It could be 2016 or beyond, but it’s inevitable. Sony and Microsoft can only support the respective console for so long, since the PS4 and Xbox One’s penetration rate is rising higher each year. It will feel a bit weird to live in a world where the PS3 and Xbox 360 don’t matter.
Older consoles will either become media devices and just games you may play the occasional classic on, or some gem that you discovered later. It’s been ten good years with the PS3 and Xbox 360. Sony and Microsoft should be thanked for giving us these gifts that have made the last decade so memorable!
XBox One will double as DVR recorder starting in 2016
Gamers on Xbox One will be able to record their favorite TV shows while slaying dragons and shooting their virtual enemies as of next year.
Announced out of Gamescom in Cologne, Germany, Microsoft said the new features will allow users to record live over-the-air TV and sideload or transfer shows to mobile devices for on-the-go viewing.
Though the new features will be free, Xbox One users will need to a tuner and external hard drive to record shows.
The DVR features will begin rolling out in 2016.
The Gamescom event also announced a new Xbox One Chatpad with full keyboard for gamers to more easily send messages and search while playing. The Chatpad is priced at $34.99 and is scheduled for release in.
Samsung Reveals Spectacular 2016 SUHD TV Lineup to Begin a New Decade of Global TV Leadership
Samsung Electronics, the number one TV manufacturer worldwide for the past 10 years, unveiled its spectacular new line-up of SUHD TVs at CES 2016, ushering in a new decade of global TV leadership.
Samsung’s 2016 SUHD TVs offer unparalleled picture quality with Quantum dot display, the world’s first bezel-less curved design which is beautiful from every angle and the smartest user experience that makes it easy for consumers to access all their entertainment content in one place. In addition, the full 2016 SUHD TV lineup is applied IoT hub technology, allowing the TV itself to act as the controller for the entire smart home.
“Our new SUHD TVs represent our singular focus on innovation that matters most to consumers, by providing the very best picture quality for the home,” said Hyun Suk Kim, President of Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. “In 2016, we’re going beyond anything we’ve done before to offer a remarkable synergy of design, engineering and craftsmanship.”
CES attendees can experience Samsung’s 2016 SUHD TVs and the company’s other innovative home entertainment products at booth #11906 in Central Hall.
Samsung SUHD TV with Quantum dot display: Unbeatable Picture Quality
Samsung’s 2016 SUHD TVs feature the world’s only cadmium-free, 10-bit Quantum dot display, offering the most true-to-life picture quality, with stunning brightness, exceptional contrast and the most lifelike colors ever offered by Samsung.
The vast majority of Americans watch TV with light in the room (86 percent on a typical weekday, 85 percent on weekends) and only a small share say they watch in complete darkness (14 percent on weekdays and 15 percent on weekends), according to a recent consumer survey*. Samsung designed its new SUHD TVs to deliver the optimum viewing experience, regardless of the lighting environment.
This year, all of the Samsung SUHD TVs will feature the ability to provide a premium high dynamic range (HDR) experience, with 1,000 nit HDR minimum for a higher level of contrast between light and dark images. New Ultra Black technology also significantly reduces light reflection, further enhancing picture quality with minimal glare. Inspired by nature, Ultra Black absorbs natural light the same way that a moth’s eye enables it to see better at night.
360 design for Unparalleled Immersion
Four years after introducing the first Curved TVs to the world, Samsung has designed the world’s first bezel-less Curved TV, the KS9500 SUHD TV, to provide a more immersive viewing experience.
With no bezel that normally functions as the border, the viewer’s attention is focused purely on what matters most – captivating content on the screen. In keeping with this design ethos, Samsung has sought to eliminate all unnecessary elements, even removing screws from the rear of the TV, to create an elegant product that is beautiful from every angle.
New Smart Hub – The 2016 Smart Hub is designed to provide users with simple access to their favorite content all in one place. Live TV, over the top (OTT), games and even the menu that appears on the home screen of the Samsung Smart TV allows users to access their favorite programs as soon as they turn on the TV.
Samsung Smart Control remote – The new Samsung Smart TV eliminates the need to juggle multiple remote controls. The Samsung Smart TV will automatically recognize the type of set-top box, game console, OTT box or home theater system that is connected to the TV. This allows users to control all of the external devices with the Smart Control remote — with no setup required.
Console-less Gaming – Consumers can enjoy the most realistic gaming experience on a large screen without the need for a console. More than 500 streaming and downloadable games will be available on the 2016 Samsung Smart TVs. Recent additions for PlayStationTMNow include Assassin’s Creed III, Batman: Arkham Origins, The LEGO Movie and many more.
EXTRA Service – With a push of the EXTRA hot button on the Samsung Smart Control remote, information related to the content will appear onscreen instantly. Users can see player profiles and stats during sporting events, information on cast members for their favorite TV shows and more.
Smart View – The Samsung Smart View mobile app allows users to share their favorite content instantly with their family. The upgraded Smart View is now available beyond Samsung Galaxy devices, supporting Android and iOS devices, as well as Window PCs. Popular apps and websites including AccuWeather, Crackle, iHeartRadio, M-GO, Plex, Pluto.TV, UFC, Vimeo, YuppTV and more are all also Smart View enabled, so consumers can begin the entertainment experience right within the apps and services they enjoy most.
More access to content – Streaming UHD movies and TV shows from providers such as Amazon, M-GO, and Netflix and accessing apps such as YouTube has gotten even easier. UHD technologies developed by NeuLion will also enable a selection of sporting events to stream UHD Consumers can also connect Samsung’s new Ultra HD Blu-ray Player via HDMI (2.0a) for access to UHD movies with HDR. Direct access to live programming from providers such as Dish and Time Warner Cable is simplified.
TV becomes the Controller for the Connected Home
All 2016 SUHD TVs feature IoT hub technology, developed by Samsung with SmartThings.The SUHD TV can connect with and control over 200 SmartThings compatible devices – whether it’s to see who is ringing the doorbell, lock the doors or turn off the lights – all from the TV.
The new feature also enhances the entertainment experience by allowing consumers the ability to program a routine that puts the TV in the appropriate picture settings for a movie and activate the soundbar and surround system while watching TV – taking “smart” TV to a new level. For the full support of connectivity with SmartThings compatible devices, a SmartThings Extend USB adapter is required.
Samsung’s First Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
Samsung also unveiled its first Ultra HD Blu-ray Player, the UBD-K8500, which is HDR compatible and offers four times the resolution and 64 times detailed color expression of a conventional Blu-ray player. It features a sleek, curved front design, and is available for pre-order now and for purchase in the U.S. in March 2016.
When paired with Samsung SUHD TV’s Quantum dot display, the new UHD Blu-ray player delivers a level of picture quality never before seen in the home. The UBD-K8500’s built-in upscaling technology enhances the picture quality from standard Blu-ray discs and DVDs, and consumers can also play CDs.
Samsung has partnered with Hollywood studios to ensure consumers have a selection of Ultra HD Blu-rays with astonishing HDR picture quality. This year, 20th Fox is slated to release more than 100 4K Ultra HD discs with HDR including films like The Martian, Peanuts, and among others.
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