The Mann's Review of the Playstation Vita.

Hello, everyone! Caleb Mann, here, with a good ol’ fashioned tech review!!!

As some of you may know, the PlayStation Vita (aka the PSV) is the successor to the handheld Portable PlayStation or PSP. In this short post, I will give my opinion on the PSV and will give it a rating #/10 based off of pros and cons. That being said, let’s jump right in.

The Pros

I have played many handheld game systems since I was young, ranging from the first Gameboy all the way to the 3DS. Compared to all those that came before, the Vita Slim 2000 has the best graphics I have ever seen in a handheld. It’s like playing your PS3 on the go. With its crisp and clear LCD screen, the vibrant colors on the games come to life. Depending on the brightness and power settings, you will have around 5-7 hours of constant game play before needing a charge.

The PSV also has an extensive PSN game library. This library has an archive of games that reaches all the way back to the PSOne. So this is a great feature if you're into any kind of gaming nostalgia. There’s another amazing feature I have never seen on any other handheld system. The Vita has the ability to connect to and remote control your PS3/PS4 from anywhere around the world, provided they are both connected to the web (through wifi or ethernet cable). Now, bear in mind, when remote playing with the PS4, the graphics aren’t going to be as crisp and nice because you aren’t playing it at home. However, it’s not substantially different, showing just how capable this little handheld truly is. Also, the Vita has no region lock. So for those who enjoy JRPGs and other games that may not get a western release, this is surely a game changer.  You can order a physical copy from Japan (or digital if you have a Japanese PSN account) and play it on your Vita without any kind of problem.

The Cons

I would like to say that  I can’t find a single bad thing about this system. Sadly, that is not the case. The system limits itself with exclusive Sony micro SD cards which cost an exuberant amount for such a small memory. The largest amount of memory is 64GB, and that will easily set you back $90-$100, possibly more. “I’ll just use an off brand micro SD card,” you might say. Unfortunately, no other micro SD card will work. This is especially regrettable because, to get the most out of the Vita’s massive digital library, you need the largest memory card possible. Which brings me to my next issue.

Compared to the 3DS, the Vita has a limited selection of physical games that have come to the states. Now, don’t get me wrong, the Vita has some amazing games: Persona 4 Golden;  Freedom Wars; Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth. There are so many great games out there for the Vita, but the majority of them haven’t been released in the west. So, I find that the selection of games can be pretty limited.

Wrapping Up

In summary, the Vita has amazing graphics (for a handheld) with a great screen and an acceptable battery life for most gamers. With its ability to connect  your home system (PS3/PS4), it’s like taking your home system wherever you go. However, with the expensive price tag for memory hindering access to its vast digital gaming, and the Vita’s limited physical games, it can get expensive to get the most out of the system. Regardless, if you want an amazing handheld game system while on the bus, at work, or just on the go, I still believe the Vita is the best option out there. I highly recommend it to everyone who is looking for a great handheld system.

I give the Playstation Vita a Talkin’ Nerdy rating of 9/10.

Talk Nerdy To Me, Brandon Ezell

Nerd.

It's funny how four letters have helped shape and define me. In high school, it was used by my friends to help me seem approachable. "Brandon’s a big ol’ Nerd. He collects comics and reads a lot." They never meant it as an insult, but it did separate me.

So first, I guess I should give you some information if you don't know me. I'm six foot four inches tall. I've competed in strength sports in five states, and I've played every sport there is. In football, I was utterly ruthless and violent as a defensive end. In basketball, I was clumsy and slow but a deceptively agile defender. In baseball, I was comfortable slamming home runs and playing ferocious outfield. In rugby, I'm very talented as a prop in the scrum driving against a horde of other players. In powerlifting, I have benched 395, squatted 655, and deadlifted 600. In my beloved boxing, I was a fierce counter puncher with great timing that led me to an amateur career of 18-0-1 with 16 knockouts.

 I love sports. I love physical violence and competition. I am overly competitive and too aggressive for my own good. I'm sure my brothers and my fiancée can all attest to this. In all these athletic endeavors, I was guided by simple principles: Fight hard. Never quit. Win with honor, honesty and humility; lose with grace, and learn from each defeat. If that sounds like Captain America wisdom, that's because it is:

 I was a Nerd.

 I was a Nerd that played sports, read every day, and collected comics. I was all of these things, but for a long time the nerd side stayed locked away only to be seen by my tiny group of friends.

Until recently, being a Nerd wasn't cool. It meant outsider, it meant different, and I felt different. I even felt isolated, like I never had someone who was quite as into things as I was. This was before the superhero movie became its own genre, before geek became chic. Now there is an entire Facebook group brimming with like-minded individuals. If you looked at me on the street you'd never see nerd. Maybe you'd see boots and jeans, or sleeveless shirts and gym shorts. I've been told I don't look, sound, or seem like a Nerd; but that was all by people who don't identify as Nerd. The shirts I wear are almost universally sports or Nerd related (in fact I have several Nerd gym shirts), and I find myself much more comfortable spending Saturday nights exploring dungeons and fighting dragons than sitting at a sports bar. I think for me, that's what I love about Nerd: It's inclusive. Usually, our D&D table consists of an oil refinery safety manager, a collegiate athletic trainer, an aspiring restaurant manager, a theologian, and myself -an aspiring police officer. We laugh, we talk, and we have fun. They accept the gym rat because the gym rat is Nerd. We all are.

Interestingly enough, I’ve seen all walks of life represented in Nerdom. The poor, rich, religious, atheist, and anything in between can be found in comic shops and gaming shops every week. So, Nerd for me has taken on a new meaning in recent years. Nerd means acceptance. We may never agree on DC vs Marvel, Avengers vs X-Men, Sega vs Nintendo; but we do agree that being Nerd is who we are. Being Nerd is what brought our friends into our lives. Being Nerd brings us joy, and as far as I’m concerned that’s the very best part of being Nerd.

I’m assuming if you are reading this it’s because you are a part of Talkin’ Nerdy. If I don’t know you personally, then that’s a shame because I’m willing to bet we have some common ground. Even if we don’t, I’m sure we could have a conversation about our differences that would be both enjoyable and enlightening. That’s a key part of Nerd Culture I’ve found. It’s a safe place for everyone involved. People can get rude, get defensive, get angry; but those are the minority. The overwhelming majority of Nerds I know (and having worked in a comic shop that’s a vast majority) are polite, courteous, and engaging.

So for starters, Nerd means accepting people, but it also means so much more. It means friends, Cons, car rides spent listening to musicals, late night conversations about the ramifications of fictional stories, and of course it means fun. However, as the group grows and everyone makes new friends and finds their own voices, it should also mean one thing above all else: Safety. On this blog, in this group, and especially walking up to me in public, it will always mean you are safe. Safe to be loud and obnoxious. Safe to be as excited as you want about whatever you want. Sure, I may not share that particular fandom, but I appreciate and encourage the enthusiasm.

So, use this forum to expand your Nerd Network. Use it to broaden your horizons. Use it to safely express your excitement at being Nerdy, and know that that’s exactly what nerds around the world are doing. We’re listening and getting into different things.

So for me, Nerd means accepted, Nerd means having a place. Most importantly, Nerd means having really cool friends. Because, hey, everyone needs a team. So from the guy lifting weights while wearing a Colossus T-shirt, “Welcome.”

 As Greg says, “You’re safe here.”

A Place For All Nerds

“Pshh, what a nerd!”

Many of us have been on the receiving end of that comment. We express enthusiasm for a particular show, movie, videos game, you name it. When we tell people what we’re in to, we get one of several responses.

“Dude, that’s so cool! Me too!!!”

“That’s not really my thing.”

“Are you kidding? What a nerd.”

“Never heard of it.”

And the list could go on and on. Growing up, my mother always told me to never refer to myself as a nerd. It was self-deprecation. It was a negative term, one that one should avoid being the recipient of.

Well, do I have news for you.

The status of the Nerd has greatly changed in the past few years. Now, we who fit the description wear the label with pride. We understand that who we are is nothing to be ashamed of. We are as justified in our Nerdiness as the football fan is justified in his seasonal enthusiasm for contact sports. And we have several things to thanks for that, including (but not limited to) the advent of superhero movies, The Big Bang Theory (regardless of your feelings about the show), video games, and high-profile Nerd celebrities. So now we have such a thing as Nerd Culture, as well as parameters that place you within that culture.

Being a Nerd propels you in a vast company of others who, though they may not share your particular affinities, welcome you with open arms and say “Hey, you like Supernatural? I know something else you might like…”

This is because true Nerd Culture is one of sharing. I like Star Wars, Doctor Who, Harry Potter, and a score of other things. I share them with people who may or may not have had a direct encounter with said interests. I recently began hanging around a new group of friends, who all share a love for Professional Wrestling. They have been more than happy to share their love of manly soap operas with me. And I have indulged them happily in return.

In October of this past year, I created Facebook group Talkin’ Nerdy. Last week, we crossed 200+ member mark (231 as of this writing). This told me something profound: all Nerds want a place for community. A place to share their love for all things Nerdy. And this group has been a blast and I hope it continues to grow. But until the advent of this group, most groups and pages I had seen were very specific in what they were about. One group was for Superheroes, one for fictitious battles, another for fans of a certain show. There has been no cohesion. No unity. 

It’s high time we change that.

This is just a introductory post to launch our new blog, but I am writing this to establish our philosophy. And it is this: 

No matter what you like, if it’s Nerdy, you have a place with us.

No matter what it is, if it exists, it will be discussed.

No matter how obscure you think your interests are, if you like it, we will help you find someone else who does to.

This is the goal of Talkin’ Nerdy. And this is what it will always be.

So Say We All.