CHESS ULTRA PS4 on 55"4k VS old CHESSMASTER GRANDMASTER .. A total LOSER/Disappointment!

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mensplace

Okay, I'm a disabled senior whose first computer was a homebuilt Sinclair and spent my career in computers and networks. For Christmas, bought my wife the new TV and PS4. AMAZED with the incredible clarity, action, and lifelike clarity of the games she bought. I bought into the proliferation of rave reviews and marketing hype everywhere re CHESS ULTRA. Thinking this might be the answer to my desire to teach my wife chess, and have something we could share together, I bought CHESS ULTRA. Too, being limited to my chair and needing something to combat Alzheimer's, I thought back to my long love of chess,  but wanted the large screen and remote controller; why I even had visions of using two controllers to teach her and play together. I thought back on the beauty, simplicity, clarity, flexibility, and power of Chessmaster Grandmaster of many years ago. Surely, I thought, this new gaming system would, like her games, be hugely a step forward after so many years. I DIDN'T have any interest in the  plethora of games that were all the same tripe of non-thinking, non-strategic shooting, destruction, etc..

I just wanted something positive, so I naturally thought back to my years of enjoying chess.

What I actually got in Chess Ultra was a HUGE disappointment across the board. The graphics are poor, the instructions unreadable, and the options VERY few. Compared to the far older Chessmaster, there is absolutely no comparison, and the developers clearly just threw together a product to get it to market, with little effort to utilize the benefits of large 4K screens, remote controllers, or the abilities so clearly delivered in today's incredible gaming systems and games. All of the rave reviews are simply tripe, or written by a generation of folks who never enjoyed earlier games like Chessmaster. Seriously, is this CHESS ULTRA the best to expect from developers today?    What a disappointment!

EscherehcsE

Sorry to read of your bad experience. I'm surprised that you say the graphics are poor, as their site seems to only talk about the great graphics. Looking at their site, a couple of red flags popped up at me.

The base price is about $13, but add-ons can raise the price to about $35. I don't like to be nickeled and dimed.

The second red flag was that there were no details about the chess engine (who was involved in the design, etc.). Only 10 skill levels seems to be a bit skimpy to me. And no engine personalities?

mensplace

I could go on and on about its deficits, limitations, horrible graphics, poor board views, totally inadequate instructions and far more, but will leave that for other people to address, in terms of their thoughts and experiences. Maybe I'm spoiled...I came from a computer/networking company where the standard was to NEVER introduce a new product that was not measurably better than existing products or those of competitors. One would think that with so many incredible chess offerings almost 15 years ago, this CHESS ULTRA could have at least captured today's technology and coding improvements the equal of those, never mind today's gaming enhancements, interactive controllers, and marvelous display enhancements. They simply did not.