How the Console 'Failures' Finally Won

How the Console 'Failures' Finally Won
Next Gen has a really good and well written article about the history of gaming, and how the older failed systems helped to shape and build the market we see today.[How the Console 'Failures' finally won]Give it a read!

Predicitions Update

Predications Update:

This post is an update to a post I made but on March 07 of 2006 about which console is going to come out on top in this battle for your hard earned dollar. I predicted then, that the winners would be 360, Wii, and then the PS3 in that order. Thought it would be a good idea to come back to this topic after 4 months to see what's changed.

After reviewing all the information I've seen/read over the coarse of the past few months, I think I'm going to need to make a slight change in the prediction.

#1 Xbox 360, Wii
#2 PS3

WTF you say? Well the issue is that the Wii is not a 'next-gen' console. So we can't really compare a system that doesn't really push the technology envelope. The 'next gen' battle is really between the 360 and the PS3. Nintendo is out in left field somewhere playing with its Wii.

Nintendo, I believe, is going to save the gaming industry yet again. Why? Because Nintendo seems to have re-focused on what's important to make a game sell. Game play. It's not super-HD graphics, it's not being able to stick 4 DVD quality movies on a disk, nor is it really about the 'community' factor. It is about the games, and the Wii games just look FUN.

XBox 360:
Right now, Microsoft still has good potential from this machine if they are able to over come two major factors:
A) The 360 needs GAMES! And not this crap that has been coming out lately! Granted,
Christmas looks to be sweet, but I'm getting VERY tired and upset about being able to pick
up good games once a year. I mean, come on, Chromehounds was released BUGGY. This is a console Not a PC and NO ONE should pay for software that hasn't been bug checked. I can see bugs coming out in games like GTA and Oblivion... But still, bugs? When is the last time you saw a bug in a Nintendo game?

B) They need to do something with live. I've seen paint dry faster then update to LIVE. Where are the Xbox Live Arcade Games? Why is there only a handful of them currently, and only like 3-4 more on the horizon? MS OWNS there own game development company. There’s no excuse for this. Granted, MS has started the whole "Live Wednesdays." But, then again, currently there’s only like 3-4 more in development that we are aware of and where are the games that really push the 'live' aspect of the arcade games? Something like Magic: the Gathering Online was MADE for LIVE. I said it 4 months ago: "by they time Nintendo and Sony are players [in the market], the 360 will be on to 2nd and 3rd generation games. MS has the edge this time if they use it." They aren’t.

WII:
Nintendo still has the hook. The games just look fun. Granted, my arms are going to hurt like hell for a week after playing the WII but it just looks fun! I still think the WII is basically a DS for your TV. It's going to be cheaper then all the others, and Nintendo isn't pushing the Wii to be anything other then what it is. A Game Machine. It's worth buying just for the virtual console that will allow the Wii to download and play 1000's of games. Though, I'm still pissed about the name change.

PS3:
I still believe the PS3 is going to be the biggest flop since the Virtual Boy. Yes, the price has dropped from what I originally stated. So you are stuck with a $500 machine. Tack on sales tax, a couple of games, extra controller, and insurance (It's a Sony.. you're a dumbass if you don't get insurance on a first run Sony product) your up to about $700.

With all the lying, double talk, bait and switch tactics, and excellent marketing skills, it's a wonder how the Fan Boys can still be eager for the PS3. I've seen them still going off about how 'cool' the PS3 is going to be and how it's going to take over the market like the PS1/PS2 did.

Too bad the facts are saying the PS3 is going to be a bomb.

And with all the hardware problems as of late (Like IBM saying they can't get the 8 cores to work right, so the PS3 will be shipping only with 7, and the rumored Blu-Ray drive delays, etc) It's wonder how Sony is even going to be able push the PS3 to market in November. Of course, they already delayed it once, no reason not to delay it again.

To make matters worse there's nothing 'new' about the PS3. It's nothing more then a Blu-ray player, that happens to play games.all the 'coolness' of the PS3 has been removed. You're left with a machine without a soul.

11-year-old finds porn video in game package

11-year-old finds porn video in game package [Source]

Fayetteville Observer Thu, 13 Jul 2006 8:45 AM PDT

Jacob Woods just wanted to play the latest NBA video game, but the disc he brought home from the store had nothing to do with basketball.When the eleven-year-old Stokes County boy installed the video into his Playstation Portable, what played was a pornographic movie.Tony Woods says the game box was sealed and wrapped when he bought it at a local Wal-Mart.A Wal-Mart spokeswoman says the company will exchange the tape or refund the video for a new one. She says the chain will also work with the manufacturer to determine what happened.Tony Woods says he's contacted an attorney, but also says he just wants his son to get the right video before he goes on a trip next week.

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Come on.. STROKES county?? What video did he get? Debbie does San Andreas?

Something else to think about on the PS3...

This is for all the Sony Fanboys out there that still believe the PS3 is cooler then God.Fact: The Panasonic LF-MB121JD Blu-ray drive shipped June 10th for $850.So here's some logic for you.Again, $850 for a nothing more then a PC based Blu-Ray BURNER. So lets add some logic here. We all know the PS3 will be at least $600 (fuck the 'base' system) So, now.. let's say we yank off about $300 off the burner for the 'burner' part of the drive. That leaves us with a $550 Blu-Ray player...so the PS3 is a $550 Blu-Ray Player.. and a $50 game console..

FragDolls

FragDolls

CNET

Programmers Win EA Overtime Settlement, EA_Spouse Revealed

Programmers Win EA Overtime Settlement, EA_Spouse Revealed
Software engineers have won a $14.9 million settlement from Electronic Arts, in a settlement of a California class-action lawsuit over unpaid overtime, following a similar $15.6 million settlement reached in October with graphic artists.

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This was in the news a while, and thought I would follow up on it. read more

Oklahoma Politicians Decide Some Videogames are "Harmful to Minors"

Oklahoma Politicians Decide Some Videogames are "Harmful to Minors"
Why is it that Republican lawmakers are gung-ho for personal responsibility and government abstinence when it comes to healthcare, welfare, and minimum-wage laws, but they can't vote "aye" fast enough when it comes to intrusively legislating morality? read more

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I hate stupid people, and at this point.. the Oklahoma Politicians have just proved they are among the dumbest people on the planet.

Violence in Video Games...

Violence in Video Games...

I just got off a HUGE debate with a group of people from a Yahoo group. We where talking about if violent video games like GTA, Halo, and UT cause kids to be violent when they grow up. I don't believe that for a moment. Seems people have always looked for excuses to get into and out of trouble. "Jesus made me do it", "Ozzy told me to kill myself", "I saw it in a movie (jackass)", "I saw it in a game", etc..etc..etc.Why must people blame TV, Radio, Movies, Books, Music, Video Games, Peers for there own stupid choices? Why can't people stand up and say. "Yeah, I did it.. and here's why..."and not hide behind an excuse of "Yeah, but I didn't want to. I saw it on a game and it looked cool" Are there really that many people out there with IQ's lower then my shoe size? What do you think? Do you think video games cause Violence in people or do people cause violence in people?

eToychest - Square Enix Gets Brave, Forms New Company

eToychest - Square Enix Gets Brave, Forms New Company: "Square Enix Gets Brave, Forms New CompanyWritten by Robyn DobsonAccording to Gamasutra, Square Enix, along with recent acquisition Taito and digital content provider Faith Inc. have jointly invested ¥80 million ($683,000) in order to form a new media company called Brave. Initially positioned as a provider for mobile content, the new company is also working to fund large projects and user communities. The news comes on the tail of Square Enix reporting lower than expected revenue for FY2005. My prediction? I bet the companies somehow leverage off of this new venue to help the struggling MMO sector within Square Enix, which is seeing dismal sales and user subscripts from all products save for Final Fantasy XI"

Techdirt: Violent Video Games, Weak Statistics And Sensationalistic Headlines

Techdirt: Violent Video Games, Weak Statistics And Sensationalistic Headlines:

"Violent Video Games, Weak Statistics And Sensationalistic HeadlinesIt seems one of the more controversial areas of study lately surrounds violent video games. It seems like every few months a new study comes out, and the results are always sensationalized, even if the details of the study usually don't add up to very much. Much more telling is the fact that as graphically violent video games have become more popular, incidents of youth violence continue to drop when you would expect it to go the other way. Obviously, this is an area that could use more research -- but so much of it seems to have serious problems. The latest "research" has come out on violent video games, and it's grabbing lots of headlines, claiming that violent video games are linked to "risky behaviors" and increase paranoia. Other headlines point out the "major public health issue" and the "negative impact on youth". Of course, the most sensationalistic claim is that somehow this study suggests violent video games make young males more likely to smoke marijuana. Of course, given that the effects of marijuana are supposed to make people less likely to go out and do stuff, it would seem to go against the view that violent video games lead to actual violence. Either way, it would seem that the press covering this story might want to dig a bit deeper into the facts. The study involves a fairly small sample size (100 young men) to start. Also, the fact that playing such games increases your blood pressure seems sort of obvious. People who are engaged in a video game are likely to have their blood pressure rise. That just means they're really engaged in the game. As for the "leads to pot smoking" claim, this one deserves the most investigation -- and one person who claims to have seen the study (if anyone has a copy, we'd love to check it out) says that what the study actually showed was that both the violent video gaming group and the control group said that marijuana was bad for your health on a six point scale. It's just that the violent video game play group found it slightly less bad. To suggest that this means violent video gamers are more likely to actually engage in such things seems like a huge stretch -- but it sure makes for good headlines.