Tag Archives: Sony

Meet the Turtle Beach PX21 Headset

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Posted by Rob on December 30, 2011 – 11:13 am
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When I first picked up the PS3 and was in need of a headset, I went with the Official PS3 Bluetooth (since for some bizarre reason Sony refuses to box even the lowest quality headset with consoles like Microsoft does) At the time it was bundled with some SOCOM game, and I immediately traded in the game once I had the Bluetooth in my possession. I’ve been using it for almost three years, and it got the job done. However, over the past year I have begun to find it uncomfortable in my ear. With Christmas over, I decided to use up some cash and treat myself (and my ears) to a new headset. Enter the Turtle Beach PX21 Headset!

Here are the things I like about it:

  • It’s versatile: It works with my PS3, 360 and PC (and a Mac if I was silly enough to blow my money on such an overpriced piece of junk)
  • It’s comfortable: The official PS3 Bluetooth was extremely uncomfortable when I had to jam the bud into my ear hole. The PX21 is a nice comfy set of headphones that fit nicely over my entire head and are made of a much softer material. And while the headset is wired, the wire is long enough (16 feet) where it’s not an issue at all. Read More »

Happy 5th Birthday, PS3!

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Posted by Rob on November 17, 2011 – 11:59 am
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On November 17, 2006, the PS3 was released here in the United States. I wanted one pretty badly back then but the price at the time was astronomical. I had went from the PS1 to the PS2, and I was intent on going for the PS3 once the price was right. And on November 8, 2008, the price was indeed right. I had $400 saved up and Wal-Mart had a promotion where if you bought the PS3 (which was $399.99 at the time) you got a $100 gift card. So I went to Wally World early that morning, waited on a line for over two hours, and eventually snagged my PS3. I’ve now had the PS3 for three years and I have to say I’ve really enjoyed it as a system. It introduced me to so many new features like online play, trophies, wireless controllers, affordable downloadable games and voice chat that I hadn’t experienced with the PS2 (no, I never played PC games).

Before the PS3, I only had a small handful of friends that I knew that played video games, and it was always a local co-op affair. With the PS3 I was able to play with people from anywhere and I made some new online friends. In my quest for finding co-op partners I happened across C0-Optimus which is a site dedicated to co-op games and meeting fellow co-op gamers. Now I never have a shortage of gaming buddies to hit up when I jump online for a co-op game.

Of course, the biggest part of the PS3 are the games. I will now regale you with tales of some of my favorite ones: Read More »

What’s the Deal with “Online Passes” in Today’s Games?

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Posted by Rob on October 20, 2011 – 2:43 pm
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Within the past few months, more and more games are requiring an “online pass” to play online. Granted, the code is provided in all new packages of the game. So you run into this problem when you either buy a game used or rent a game, in that you will have to pay $10 (every one I’ve seen has gone for $10 so far) in order to play online. Is this fair to gamers? The game companies think so.

The Defense:

Game developers believe they have a right to charge people who did not purchase the physical game $10 to access the online co-op and multiplayer features. They argue that they should be properly compensated for the time and effort they put into creating and maintaining these modes.

My Argument: Read More »

inFAMOUS 2 Will Be My Next Platinum

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Posted by Rob on October 15, 2011 – 10:03 pm
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First off, let me get this off my chest… inFAMOUS should have been Platinum #12. I picked it up for free from Sony’s “Welcome Back Program” and have 98% of the trophies. The only thing holding me back from the sweet, sweet Platinum is a stupid collectible trophy. Through the course of the game you can pick up items called blast shards that increase your power, and there is a trophy for finding them all. Problem is that they don’t appear on a map until your almost on top of them, and this kind of tracking system is near impossible in a sandbox game like inFAMOUS. So yeah, when I look at my trophy count for inFAMOUS that 98% just slaps me in the face.

Now inFAMOUS 2, that’s another story. When I traded in my fat console for a slim one, I ended up snagging the inFAMOUS 2 bundle. Luckily Sucker Punch learned from the first game and finding all the blast shards is no longer an issue. One of the last powers you can unlock in the game allows you to see the nearest blast shard, no matter how far away it is. After unlocking this I spent about two hours running across the city picking up every last one of those suckers, and that trophy is now out of the way.  Read More »

XBL Gold vs. PS+

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Posted by Rob on July 8, 2011 – 7:13 am
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I received an e-mail from Microsoft this morning notifying me that my XBL Gold account would be expiring next month, which makes sense since I got a 360 last August. However, now I had to pose myself a question…do I want to spend the $50 to renew my Gold account? Not only do I rarely play 360 games online, but at the same time I’m paying for a PS+ account. Thing is, my PS+ account will be coming due soon too. Seeing how I’m currently unemployed and times are hard, I don’t want to be spending money I don’t have on things I really don’t need right now. So I got to thinking about the perks of both, and whether they were worth the price of admission or not.

What I get with a XBL Gold Account:

  • The ability to play online. This is arguably the best perk to having a Gold account, simply because you cannot play online without it.
  • Superior online experience. The 360 does offer a better online experience than the PS3, from the awesome and comfortable headset that plugs in right to your controller to the ability to have cross-game chat. I do believe there are more 360 players than PS3 players as well, so it’s easier to find a game to play online with the 360
  • Exclusive content. Gold members do get access to exclusive betas and demos before the general public.

What I get with a PS+ Account:

  • Free games. On average, PS+ users get one free game PSN game a week. It’s not just lame shovelware games either; I’ve gotten some pretty great games like Magic the Gathering, Sonic the Hedgehog, Streets of Rage II and others.
  • Discounted games. This is the biggest advantage to PS+, as I can buy games over PSN for less money than it costs on XBLA. Often times, many games are discounted from 33-50% off, particularly in the first week of release. I’ve gotten a ton of games on the cheap from PS+, and it has paid for itself many times over.
  • Exclusive content. I received early access to betas for DC Universe, Uncharted 2, and Uncharted 3, as well as early access to demos and other PS-exclusive content. Read More »

Back into inFAMOUS Thanks to Sony’s Welcome Back Program

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Posted by Rob on June 11, 2011 – 12:54 pm
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When the PSN got revived a couple of weeks ago, Sony decided to put forth some positive PR by offering PS3 owners two free games. The two games could be chosen from a list of five, which included two PS3 titles (that were downloadable) and three PSN games. The choices were:

  • inFAMOUS
  • LittleBigPlanet
  • Dead Nation
  • Super Stardust HD
  • Wipeout HD

Seeing how I already owned LBP and Dead Nation, and I’m not a huge fan of racing games, I went with inFAMOUS and Super Stardust HD. Even though I had played through inFAMOUS a couple of years ago when it first came out, I realized that with one more playthrough I could get the Platinum trophy, so that’s what I’m currently working on.

Read More »

Finally, The PSN Has Come Back…Online

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Posted by Rob on May 16, 2011 – 6:18 am
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It’s been a tough twenty-three days, but the PSN returned (for the most part) yesterday. The online play, chat, friends list, and trophies are the important features that returned, and the only one missing is the PSN Store, which will hopefully get back into service soon (I just want to sync all my RB songs to RB3.) It’s been a long time coming and I’ve been itching to get online for two main reasons:

  • To play Dungeon Hunter Alliance online
  • To Platinum WWE All Stars

I’m currently nine online wins away from getting the Platinum in All Stars, and when I downloaded the new firmware and got the PS3 going again, I had a friend request from a guy who wanted to boost All Stars. Pretty soon this guy and I will be sitting back and basking in the glory of our new Platinum trophy! After I get All Stars out of the way, I’ll probably take a break and get some stuff down around the house, then I’ll see if I can’t get a game of Dungeon Hunter Alliance underway.

I missed being able to play online, and I’m so glad I can now. Welcome back, PSN!

Getting Rewarded for Participating in PlayStation Rewards Beta

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Posted by Rob on May 6, 2011 – 2:18 pm
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Several months ago, PlayStation sent out some random invites to users to participate in the beta for a program they were trying out called “PlayStation Rewards.” Basically the program would track a user’s forum and blog use, as well as their activity in PlayStation Home, and reward them points for each participating. There were several tiers you could get into, and they netted you unique avatars and the chance to enter into special contests.

For whatever reason, Sony decided that through the beta, PlayStation Rewards was not ready for the general public yet. The beta was canceled and they sent me an e-mail thanking me for participating. Then about a month ago I received an e-mail from Sony saying that to thank me for participating in the Rewards beta I would be receiving a t-shirt in the mail soon. Read More »

Stupid Hackers

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Posted by Rob on April 6, 2011 – 4:16 pm
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I don’t want to get into specifics, mainly because I really don’t care about the actual issue, but there is currently a group (or perhaps several groups) of hackers who have been attacking Sony the past two days. Basically, they are upset with Sony and how Sony deals with certain issues, so they decided to go against Sony by taking several actions…one which includes disrupting the PSN service. As a result of this, the past two days have been hit or miss with getting online the PS3, as a disruption of service means I can’t play online.

Now here’s what I don’t get: the hackers are mad at Sony, and want to not only hurt them but also gain public support by getting attention. Well, they sure are getting attention, but they are actually getting the people upset. I mean, how the hell am I supposed to say “yeah you wacky hackers, stick it to the man!” when THEY are the ones who don’t let me play online. It’s THEIR fault I can’t watch Netflix, THEIR I can’t kick ass in WWE All Stars, and THEIR fault that I’ve been getting somewhat spotty connections when playing Dead Nations with my friend. Read More »

WWE Allstars Demo Available Now on XBLA…Later Tonight on PSN

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Posted by Rob on March 22, 2011 – 11:03 am
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It’s almost here…only seven days to go until the release of THQ’s WWE Allstars video game. Today THQ released a demo on XBLA (and later tonight via PSN)  that allowed players to check out a singles match as either Ultimate Warrior or Rey Mysterio. Since I hate Mysterio with a passion, I selected Ultimate Warrior and took Mysterio to school. I should note that I downloaded the 360 version because I didn’t feel like waiting for some random time tonight whenever Sony decided to update PSN.

Since it’s a different style of game, the controls are nothing like SvR’s, and I was hoping that the demo would come with a tutorial of sorts, which it does not. So there was a lot of guess work as I punched, kicked, and slammed Mysterio around. The first match went back and forth, and eventually Mysterio was able to squeak a win from me after hitting the 619. The second match I did better, and was able to give him a Gorilla Pres Slam for the win.

Read More »

I Hate Sony’s PlayStations Website

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Posted by Rob on February 2, 2011 – 1:11 pm
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The PS3 and 360 each have certain features that give it an edge over the other one. In terms on websites, the 360′s is far superior to the PS3. The 360 site is easy to navigate, and you can purchase games or download free demos right off the site. I find it easier to navigate through the website than through the console.

The PS3, on the other hand, is quite cumbersome. The main complaint, and the reason why I’m complaining about it in this post, is that Sony has this need to advertise their upcoming games on the home page of the site. This is done with several flash movies, and due to this, it takes forever to load up the site, or to navigate to the section you want to go to. Not for nothing, but I know what Sony has coming out for the PS3 in November…I don’t need to be seeing all these stupid ads now. The 360 doesn’t do anything as annoying as this. Sure, it has ads, but they are not as massive, do not take up the whole screen, and no not cause any lag. Read More »

Netflix Instant on PS3 Now Discless: Now Better than 360

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Posted by Rob on October 19, 2010 – 8:53 am
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I loved that Netflix bought their instant movie/tv show watching to the home consoles, as it is way better to watch from your own tv as opposed to the computer. I used the PS3 initially, and it worked great. The only downside was that you had to put a Netflix disc in the system, so when I wanted to watch a movie I had to get up and change out the game disc with the Netflix one. Then I got a 360, and the fact that their Netflix features were discless made me watch most of my videos on there. I also thought the load times were faster on the 360, and there was less buffering instances.

But yesterday Sony rolled out their own discless Netflix, and I was instantly hooked. Once you select the movie you want to watch, it is played almost instantly. I would say that there is maybe a two-second load time, if that. Also, I haven’t experienced any buffering or lag during play. Also, the Netflix program itself loads up extremely quickly from the PS3′s XMB. The PS3 has also upgraded it’s Netflix capabilities by offering most of the features the 360 does, mainly the ability to get suggestions, browse more categories, and actually search the instant database for movie titles or actors/actresses. The only feature that the 360 still has over the PS3 is the ability to watch a movie/tv show with your online friends.

I am so glad the PS3 got this upgraded version of Netflix. Not only does it now offer the same features that the 360 does, but it is now superior to the 360, in terms of video quality and upload speeds. I’m not saying that the 360′s Netflix is bad, but  the PS3 will offer the same quality experience, just faster. I truly love the instant Netflix on my consoles!!!

Pros and Cons of Mass Effect 2 Going Cross-Platform

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Posted by Rob on August 19, 2010 – 8:11 am
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To the horror of 360 “fanboys” and the cheers of PS3 users, it was officially announced yesterday at Gamescom that Mass Effect 2 would be released on the PS3 next January. To add on to my anti-fanboy argument, when I looked at the post on Joystiq (see above embedded link) for this news, I saw several comments where people were either saying “nooooooo” or “this sucks now all we have is halo and fable”. That is just stupid talk, and I hate it. I would be pleased as punch if God of War went to the 360, and I think it should!While this is a major victory for gamers who only own a PS3, it also has some problems.

The Pros

First and foremost, the biggest pro is that more people will be able to enjoy the wonder world of Mass Effect. If I didn’t have a 360 I would be just as happy, and being a 360 owner I’m not crying over this…I hate console-exclusive games. The fact that before I had a 360 I never got to touch the likes of Left 4 Dead, Mass Effect, and Castle Crashers, and that I know that there are people out there in the world who have never played Uncharted, God of War, or Resistance, just makes me so angry. There is absolutely no way any gamers win from console-exclusive games…unless they count “bragging rights” as a pro. Personally, I don’t, and I think the only people who benefit from exclusive games are the system owners (Sony of Microsoft), since a person like me has to own both systems to enjoy all the greatest games. Not even the game developers win, because they would sell a hell of a lot more units of a game if it appeared on both systems.

So that all being said, gamers will win because more people will be able to enjoy the story of Mass Effect, and Bioware will win because more copies of the game will sell. It can also be assumed that, with this happening, that Mass Effect 3, due out next year, will also be a cross-platform game, which is great. Read More »

My First 24 Hours of 360 Goodness: The Technical Stuff

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Posted by Rob on August 6, 2010 – 5:06 pm
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I’ve had the system for a full 24 hours, and I wanted to lay down my first impressions of the system and the games I’ve checked out so far. Firstly, I would like to address the controller. It’s nice, and is very comfortable in my hand. I like how the left analog stick is slightly higher than the right one, giving you a more natural feel. I was also glad to see that there was a sync button, like the PS3 controller has, to get to the main menu, and to turn the system on. Good stuff! However, there were two things I’m not as big a fan of. First, I don’t like the directional pad. It feels kind of wobbly, as it is on a raised, circular platform of sorts. The PS3 controller has the directional just as four separate buttons, while the 360 has it as one big button. It works fine and all, but just feels a little odd. Secondly, I was disappointed in the controller power situation. I like how the PS3 controller has a battery installed right inside the controller, and to charge it you just plug it into either the system or a computer…wherever you can find a nearby USB drive. The 360 controller CAN do that, but only if you purchase a separate device that hooks it up to do that. Otherwise, your two options are to use two AA batteries per controller or to purchase a battery charging station, which is the path I chose to go. Don’t get me wrong, this is not going to kill me or anything, but I just liked the convenience of being able to use my PS3 controller out of the box and never have to worry about changing batteries. The 360 controller is still pretty awesome.

The PS3 Directional Pad:

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The 36o Directional Pad:

360-018-small Read More »

I’m Finally Getting a 360!!!

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Posted by Rob on August 4, 2010 – 10:24 am
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Last week, the good folks at co-optimus.com had a contest to celebrate the fact that their database now contains over 1,000 co-op games. As I was getting ready to eat breakfast Sunday morning, I received a PM from the owner of the site, with the subject being “Grand Prize Winner.” I got excited and started cursing, and Shell was confused. I ran into the computer room and went online to read the PM, and sure enough, I had been selected as the grand prize winner. The prize is a 250gb 360 slim, as well as a copy of Crackdown 2. I gave my info to the site owner, and I should have the 360 in my possession by the weekend.

xbob360

I never talked much smack about the 360, and I was actually on the verge of buying one when I was ready to purchase a current gen system back in 2008. However, in the end I was diswayed from the 360 due to the RROD problems, as well as the high start-up cost (having to buy a system, a $90 wireless device for it, and having to purchase a Gold account just to play online.) These issues, coupled with the fact that I got a PS3 for $100 off, caused me to go with Sony over Microsoft. However, I always wanted to get a 360 as well, especially within the past year as I have made friends with people online who only have 360s, and not PS3s. Read More »

Wii Review: Wii Sports Resort

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Posted by Rob on June 14, 2010 – 11:22 pm
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While on my honeymoon, I stumbled across a $50 Best Buy gift card in my wallet, and was itching to head to the mall and buy something neat. In the end, I decided to finally pick up the Wii Motion Plus, which came packaged with Wii Sports Resort. I enjoyed the casual games of Wii Sports, so I figured I would equally enjoy Wii Sports Resort.

Wii Sports Resort is kind of a mixed bag, with some great games, as well as some lame ones. There are twelve total, though two (golf and bowling) are basically clones from Wii Sports, but with the Motion Plus controls. Before I get into the game, let me talk about Wii Motion Plus. It’s a small device that attaches to the bottom of the Wii Remote, but the problem is that the Motion Plus is encased in a silicon sleeve, so you have to go through some effort to attach it each time. The Nunchuck then connects to the bottom of the Motion Plus. This makes the controller bulky…what was initially a nice light controller in your hand is now getting weighed down with the Motion Plus and the casing. However, it’s only a minor annoyance, and if anything I hate it more for the effort to hook it up than the weight it adds (which is actually minor, but I just want to complain about it.)

wii-motion-plus Read More »

PS3 Review: Dragon Age: Origins

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Posted by Rob on November 12, 2009 – 6:45 am
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I sent Dragon Age Origins back to Gamefly today. I probably put about ten to twelve hours into it, and barely scratched the surface. Yet, from what I played, I know its a game that I HAVE to own. I was gunning to get Borderlands, but Dragon Age really blew me away, and I just have to have it as my next game. If I hadnt just bought MUA2, Uncharted 2, and WWE 2010 I would have been more inclined to keep it, but Ive been spending too much on games as it is. Regardless, it is safe to say that Dragon Age is the best RPG on the PS3 that I have played, and that says a lot based on how much I loved Sacred 2.

When you start a game, you create a new character by choosing the race, sex, and class. Then, you will select one of six “background stories” which introduce your character and the game. Which story you can choose depends on what kind of character you created. From there, you are thrust right into the game.

Read More »

Review: Netflix on the PS3

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Posted by Rob on November 7, 2009 – 8:18 am
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I received the disc from Netflix yesterday. When placed in the PS3, the disc allows me to access Netflix streaming video services, which is pretty sweet. I mean, its nothing new, as I could always do it on my laptop. But the quality on the laptop was horrible, where it would sometimes lag, skip, or buffer, and the sound was not the greatest either. I dont know if it was my laptop or what (I assume it was, stupid piece of junk) but when I heard that I would be able to do the same from my PS3, and thus be able to watch these videos on my TV rather than the laptop, I couldnt wait.

The minute I got the disc in the house, I loaded up the PS3 and got ready to check it out. First I had to verify my account, so once I got the Netflix program going on the PS3, it generated a random code that I had to enter on Netflix’s website from my laptop. Once that was done, I was ready to go. What I actually get is two different things. First, my entire queue of instant movies and shows is loaded up on the PS3, and I can choose what I want to watch. Secondly, I am able to browse the “top 100″ instant videos for different categories such as comedy, horror, and tv series.

Read More »

PS3 Netflx Disc on the Way

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Posted by Rob on November 5, 2009 – 5:34 pm
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I got an email from Netflix today informing me that the disc for use in the PS3 is shipping today, meaning I’ll get it tomorrow. This is awesome…Ive been waiting to get my hands on this. The disc will allow me to access my Netflix queue from my PS3, so I can then watch any of the instant movies or TV shows on my TV through the PS3.

I used the instant streaming on my laptop a few times, but I wasnt a fan. My laptop isnt the best, so it was kind of lame. Worse off was the sound…it was just horrible. I look forward to being able to plop down on the couch, fire up the PS3, and watch a movie or TV show within minutes.

Gamefly Ships me Uncharted 2 Super Fast FTW

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Posted by Rob on October 14, 2009 – 6:28 pm
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I was shocked when I opened my mailbox today and found Uncharted 2 waiting for me. Gamefly usually takes between 3-5 days to ship a game to me from their nearest shipping center in Pittsburgh. Thats why I was so amazed to receive the game today. They e-mailed me telling me it shipped Monday, which didnt actually happen since the post offices were closed for Columbus Day. That means the post office got hold of the game yesterday and then got it here by today. Im not complaining…Im just amazed.

Thanks Gamefly! Keep this up. Its my only criticism of you…