Mevio Tech

Sometimes timing can make as much of a statement as, well, a statement can. By timing the announcement of its Playstation 4 console before the big E3 Expo a full four months before the confab starts in June, Sony has made it far more impactful. So says Nick McCandless, host of BiteSizeTV’s “Nick’s Gaming View.”

“Because of this decision Sony has been receiving most of the press since their February 20th unveiling,” notes Nick.

What’s more, with amazing titles like Killzone: Shadow Fall, inFAMOUS: Second Son, Drive Club, and Watch Dogs set to be released concurrent with the launch of  the console, Sony has really stacked the deck.

In other Sony news, Naughty Dog has announced that its Uncharted 3 is going free-to-play with its multiplayer segment of the game.

Finally, and not to be overshadowed, Microsoft is breaking through some of Sony’s noise , announcing the launch of “Gears of War: Judgment,” set for Match 16.

Want to know more about these hot gamer stories? Watch this episode of “Nick’s Gaming View.”

Follow Nick on Twitter.

The Oscars aren’t just for celebrity hounds who follows stars’ every moves. They’re for us techies, too, especially when it comes to Best Visual Effects award. And this year has got some gee-whiz-bang nominees:

“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” (Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton and R. Christopher White). Peter Jackson’s blockbuster hobbit hit hds audiences agog with elves, trolls, goblins, wargs and giant eagles — an entire universe called Middle Earth.

“Life of Pi:” (Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer and Donald R. Elliott). Ang Lee’s creation captured the imaginations of audiences with its magical tale of a shipwrecked boy stuck on a lifeboat with a hungry Bengal tiger.

“Marvel’s The Avengers” (Janek Sirrs, Jeff White, Guy Williams and Dan Sudick). Marvel has kept the franchise alive, bringing a blockbuster home again with Iron Man, Captain America, the Hulk and the rest.

“Prometheus:” (Richard Stammers, Trevor Wood, Charley Henley and Martin Hill). Yeah, yeah, technically it wasn’t an “Alien” sequel, but we all know it was. But damn that thing looked real.

“Snow White and the Huntsman:” (Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, Philip Brennan, Neil Corbould and Michael Dawson). this sexy, action packed take on the classic tale had audiences leaping out of their seats.

But its not enough for tech buffs to just watch the Oscars on the idiot box. We want to get all social media about it. That’s why BiteSizeTV and the W Hotel Hollywood have teamed up to bring you a live-and-multimedia extravaganza. We’re hosting huge Oscar party at the W and you’re invited, virtually.

In addition to the party, BiteSizeTV celebrity hosts Amy Paffrath, Kristen Brockman, Stephen Hansen and others will anchor the event live from multiple Hollywood hotspots including the Dolby Theater at Hollywood and Highland and our own red carpet at the W Hollywood Hotel. They’ll be joined by hosts from Hollywood TV to take fans into the heart of the action.

It all starts at 3:00 p.m. Pacific / 6:00 P.M. Eastern. Just go to BiteSizeTV.com and follow celebrity tweets from the party and red carpet using the hashtag #WLiveAndLoud.

Netflix’ “House of Cards” is one of the best new shows “off” the air.  The Washington D.C-based political drama stars Kevin Spacey as Francis Underwood, an unscrupulous, revenge-seeking politician. And he plays the part it oh so well.

Like a lot of U.S. shows these days, like “The Office,” “House of Cards” has its origins in Britain. The original “House of Cards” premiered all the way back in 1990 on the BBC, and starred Ian Richardson, who was suave evil incarnate. Kevin Spacey channels Richardson to a “T,” adding a Southern Gent greasiness to the character.

But great drama doesn’t always translate to eyeballs and revenue, especially when it goes online right off the bat. (Think “straight to DVD” movies back in the day.) But, says Jeff McCord, host of BiteSizeTV’s “Moxie Mo Show,” it appears Netflix has a hit on its hands. It’s the number one show on Netflix now. Not only that, but Netflix released all of the episodes one the same day.

But, Jeff asks, will this change the way we watch TV? Watch this episode and see what Mr. Moxie has to say.

Follow Jeff on Twitter.

It was recently announced that “Star Trek” director J.J. Abrams will direct the upcoming (and now Disney) film “Star Wars Episode VII.” That big news possibly hid the small print that he may be collaborating with Valve Software, maker of the popular games Half-Life and Portal, to make a film about one or the other. This according to Nick McCandless, host of BiteSizeTV’s popular show for gamers, “Nick’s Gaming View.”

In other news, it appears that the Android console, Ouya, will be out—but only for those who kicked-in some cash via the online crowd-funding site KickStarter.com. The rest of us will have to wait a few more months.

There are more details on these stories and additional news—on The NPD Group, Sony and Microsoft—in this episode of “Nick’s Gaming View.”

 Follow Nick on Twitter.

It’s becoming pretty clear now that the future of gaming is eventually headed towards cloud-based technologies. In fact, a recent trademark for just that was filed by Electronic Arts. (EA) Called “CloudCompete,” EA describes the service as “computer software to enable interactive and competitive game play by players on multiple and varying game devices.”

That’s heady-sounding corporate-speak for “Gamers will be able to play anywhere on any device.” Why don’t they just say that?

“Black Ops II,” you remember acquired YouTube as a live streaming partner just a few months ago. That hasn’t  stopped Activision from working with other companies to provide flexibility to even more millions fans. They’ve announced a partnership with the popular video game broadcasting and chat community, TwitchTV.