6A - Monday, February 25, 2013
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.cam
6A - Monday, February 25, 2013 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom
Playstation 4 makes its
long-awaited debut
"Make sure you get my good side."
Joh nJorgenson's
musical journey
By STEVEN TWEEDIE
Daily TV/New Media Editor
Sony knows how to put on a
show. With a massive, immer-
sive screen wrapped around
the seated press, adorned with
spotlights and lasers to pierce
through the darkness and pulse
in time to the psychedelic music,
Sony practically manufactured
its own hype, allowing for people
around the world to tune in and
watch as the first next-gen con-
sole was unveiled. Even before
the first word was spoken, Sony
led its audience on a visual jour-
ney that celebrated, well, Sony
and its revolution of how people
"play," and stressed the trailblaz-
ing still to come. It's impossible to
watch the first few minutesof the
announcement and not find your-
self excited.
But is such excitement war-
ranted? As Sony Computer Enter-
tainment President Andrew
House took the stage to scattered
is the least important. People
don't buy a new game console
to stare at it (well, most people
don't); they care more about what
is under the hood and what deli-
cious scenery can be rendered
across their televisions.
Instead of a picture of the new
time has also drastically been
decreased, with your character
waiting right where you left off
when you turn the PS4 on, thanks
to a low-powered sleep mode.
The Graphics
console
the de'
which
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shower
4 cont
some o
earlier,
control
much a
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with
ics, co
touch;
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interes
Acoustic musician
provided diverse
sound at the Ark
By SHAMIK GANGULY
For the Daily
Hearing John Jorgenson and
his band play is the closest I'll
ever get to teleporting or traveling
through time. These four acoustic
masters sound like they've lived
a lifetime in every region of the
world, and they play like they have
two hours to tell you everything
you need to know about music, cul-
ture and history. I've never been to
a beach in Greece, but when John
Jorgenson pulls out his bouzouli,
I'm lying on the sand in the balmy
Mediterranean breeze, wearing a
tunic.
A modest audience surrounded
Jorgenson and his three band-
mates Feb. 21 at the Ark. I felt like
I'd stumbled into their living room
when I found myself sitting sid-
estage, listening to stories about a
lifetime of music and global expe-
rience.
Jorgenson relished the personal
atmosphere, and between small
talk with a drunk woman in the
audience and a reminiscent con-
versation
with a fan First seen on
about one -the filter
of his previous albums, he made it
clear that they appreciated being
able to perform in such a pure
acoustic atmosphere.
"We don't have Auto-Tune,"
he said. "We all actually play our
instruments."
He later complimented the
sound man on his lack of involve-
ment, saying, "A lot of sound guys
try to control our dynamics ... we
try to play really quiet and they
turn us up ... thanks for not doing
that."
With nothing but wood, fibers
and their hands between the band
members and their music, they
were fully in control. The drummer,
Rick Reed, had a simple three-piece
kit that he played alternately with
his brushes and his hands, but the
groove he produced was enormous.
He locked into a rumba, hitting his
snare like a conga, but five minutes
later he rolled through a fast gypsy
swing with his left leg pumping the
hi-hat and his brushes slapping the
backbeat.
Simon Planting, the bassist,
was deep in the pocket, too, and
between fast walks and soft bow
strokes he filled the room with
presence like a subwoofer. He
played with his neck craned down
toward the fretboard as if his bass
was whispering directions in his
ear, and his long hair flowed down
like a curtain between the audi-
ence and his intentions.
With a perpetual smile on his
face, violinist Jason Anick filled
the high end with jazzy slurs,
captivating tremolos and roman-
tic gypsy melodies. Sometimes
trading fours with Jorgenson and
sometimes taking the floor with
long chromatic runs and lilting
solos, he was the "singer" of the
group - that is, when Jorgenson
wasn't on the mic.
Jorgenson led the band with
contributions on the guitar, clari-
net, bouzouki and vocals. He was
part of the rhythm section, and he
was the melody at the same time.
He'd frequently rip through a high
chromatic run in unison with the
violin and then fall into a chord
progression instantaneously, sup-
porting the music and expressing
the composition in whatever way
was necessary.
Together, the four of them
nailed a set of songs from every
culture. They played old-time
country, French and Greek music,
rumba, lots of gypsy jazz and an
old tune by Fats Waller. In a set
with such variety, they maintained
a common theme of powerful
rhythm and enthralling emotion.
Never has a concert left me so
determined to both travel every-
where in the world and to sit down
and practice music all day long.
- The original version of this
article was published on The Filter,
the Daily Arts blog, on Feb.23.
e, Sony proceeded to list As Sony turned from boring
vice's broad specifications, social interfaces to features that
are substantially more people actually care about, such
ful than the PS3, and even as the PlayStation 4's graphics,
d us the new DualShock the real potential of Sony's new
roller and sensor bar. But device was made evident. Now,
f that was old news. Weeks I'm a PC guy, so perhaps my per-
pictures of the prototype ception of impressive graphics
ler leaked online, so not has been jaded, but I've played
ibout the DualShock 4 was recent games on consoles and PC
;ing. Same general design alike and I'll try my best to con-
some tweaked ergonom- duct a realistic assessment of the
lor indicator strip and a PS4's graphics.
pad slapped on the face of Simply put, they're impres-
ntroller. Updated console sive. Clearly worthy of a new
rpdated controller. Vaguely console generation. If you own
ting at best. an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3,
you'll be blown away. If you own
The Social Push a high-end PC, probably not.
Overall, however, the difference
ead of giving concrete between console generations is
pictures or even final spec- glaring, and with the PlaySta-
ns (slating Holiday 2013 as tion 4, the bar has been visu-
rgeted release date), Sony ally raised. It might not take a
a grueling presentation well-trained eye to notice the
cused on the social aspects difference, but it may take one
new system and user to appreciate all of the improve-
ce, such as the "share" ments and possibilities. The
on the new controllers potential is there, with both
nable live-streaming and graphics and home theater, as
lay recording. Now your Sony president of Worldwide
can spectate what you're Studios Shuhei Yoshida men-
g from their dorm (sounds tioned that the PS4 is capable of
illing), see your real name outputting 4K resolution.
applause
lasers ci
catchy
It was t
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But as F
announc
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ing.
Such
Now,
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ments s
show tI
internal
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tweaked
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wrapper
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the new
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4 looks l
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It als
physical
e, the lights came on, the Inst
eased their lasing and the dates, I
futuristic music ended. ificatio
ime for some solid facts, the tai
ations, release dates. began
House took the stage and that fo'
ced the anticipated Play- of the
4, a few things were miss- interfa
button
as the actual device. that e:
gamep
The Unit(less) friends
playing
I'd say this is somewhat enthra
Most product announce- next to
how the product. At least assista
he console's shell if the, taking
s aren't ready for analysis Yikes.
entioned that the exact tor An
ations are still being tweetr
I). A possible explanation feature
ing the PS4'sphysicalunit be soc
d up might be strategi- video g
ony could wait until after Cate
Xbox is unveiled before ers e
us what the PlayStation annour
ike, in an attempt to steer instant
light back towards them. chased
o couldbe argued that the ing the
appearance of a console whiley
your profile and even offer
nce from afar by virtually
control of your controller.
Perhaps news commenta-
dy Levy put it best in his
reacting to the PS4's social
es stating "If I wanted to
ial, I wouldn't be playing
tames."
ring to impulsive buy-
verywhere, Sony also
nced that games will be
ly playable once pur-
, with the system install-
game in the background
you jump right in. Boot-up
Call: #734-418-4115
Email: dailydisplay@gmail.com
RELEASE DATE- Monday, February 25, 2013
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
ACROSS
1 Apt. parts, in ads
4 Talking head
10 Big name in
ATMs
13 Charged particles
15 Black-and-blue
mark. eg.
16 Sufixtorpay
17 Soft hathatbarely
waken ilover the
infield
19 Cranberry-
growing area
20Africa'snSierra_
31 Fed. retirement
org.
22T' n a test,
usually
23 Likedodosand
dinosaurs
26 Foray
28Archaeological
age.
determination
process
31 Texting units:
Abbr.
34 Rowboat mover
35 Wish granter
36 "How was_
know?"
37 Abrasions
40 Sinus doc
41 Not exactly robust
43 Simpsons
neighbor
Flanders
44 Makes really
angry
45 Completely
absorbed
49 Lawyer's
customer
50 Accessory often
carried with a
wallet
54 Merle Haggard's
From
Muskogee"
55 N.J. neighbor
57 Lightened
58 Libertarian
politician Paul
59 Sign in a limo that
aptly concludes
the sequence
formed by the last
wordso 17-, 28-
and 45-Across
62 Mystery novelist
Grafton
63 Houston team
64Statistician'sinput
65 NHLbtiebreakers
6Tinkers(with)
67 Figs.
DOWN
1 The Good Book
2 Pricey watch with
a gold crown logo
3 Nose-in-the-air
type
4 "Nova" airer
5 Ocean State sch.
Convent dwellers
7 Startnto est with
gusto
9 Manhatan inone
9 Goball's perch
10 Choice you don't
have to think
about
11 Metaphorical
state of elation
12 Violent anger
14 Power land likely
tuture) Seantle
NBA team
18 '9sCabinet
member Federico
22 Lug
24 Gator's kin
25 Skier'sway up
27 Glad._: party
clothes
29 Long-armed
primate
30 Comprehends
31 Tickoff
32 Went down
33 Touchdowns
require crossing
them
37 Leonard _: Roy
Rogers's birth
name
38 Mountain top
39 Advantage
42 Nastase of
tenns
44 Security
checkpoint
request
46 Ultimate
application
47 Big bomb trals
48 Binoculars user
51 Made in China.
say
52 Look after
53 Icelandictsagas
timator's words
56 P.O. boo inserts
59 Printer problem
60 Stooge with bangs
61 Pack animal
CLUMSY HEARTS
A slightly misguided romance
By Hysteria Molt
Available via Amazon.eom
And weep for literature
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
I M B
M E A
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~~ G
Swinging xwordeditor@aol.com 02/25/1
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36 37 38 39 40
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The next era of
consoles is
upon us.
Developer after developer
took the stage and previewed
their next-geo titles, with "Kill-
zone: Shadow Fall" and "Watch
Dogs" looking mighty fine. It's
also important to keep in mind
that even gameplay as impressive
as PlayStation 4 title "Killzone:
Shadow Fall" is only the begin-
ning, as developers will have at
least five years to methodically
optimize the graphical capabili-
ties of the PlayStation 4, pushing
what is possible (this is one reason
why graphics differ among games
on the same console, as increased
optimization = increased visual
splendor). So while PC users may
harp that "Crysis 3" on PC looks
better than anything Sony pre-
sented, the fact that developers
can design a game around a con-
sole's specifications and know
that everyone out there with a
PS4 has the same specifications is
a huge advantage, and allows for
intricate fine-tuning.
Sony also included some more
conceptual presentations to the
docket, showcasing future possi-
bilities with tech demos featuring
every pore on an old man's head,
though proving that increased
textures, polygon count and
graphical horsepower can help
eliminate the uncanny valley
(think "Avatar"-level facial fea-
tures).
Bottom Line
But at the end of the day, peo-
ple just want to know: Should
I upgrade and buy the bloody
thing? The question would be
better answered if Sony revealed
the PlayStation 4's pricing, but
who are we to expect prices at
a product announcement? With
no prices, and the possibility of
inflated prices at launch (remem-
ber when the 60-gigabyte Play-
Station 3 debuted to a $599 price
tag?), it might be worth it to wait
for whatever Microsoft has up its
sleeve and compare the two. Per-
haps compare upcoming titles,
check to see if there's any games
that you must have that are
console-specific. If you're feel-
ing adventurous, maybe look up
what a PC of equal horsepower
would cost you. Either way, the
next era of consoles is coming,
with wanted and unwanted fea-
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high-level graphics to warrant a
new console generation.
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By Bon Gagliardo and C.C. Burnikel
(e)2013 'T'ribune Media Services, Inc.
02/25/1'