2D-X » Consoles

No 3D For Nintendo Wii

Thomas Rivas — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 15:37:57 +0000

Don't lean on him too heavily there Mr. Miyamoto.

If you were hoping to see a Wii 3D in the near future, don’t hold your breath. In an interview posted on Spiegel Online, Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto shot down any hopes of seeing the next gen system anytime soon. Here’s what he had to say:

“I do not believe that Wii 3D will be our next step. One reason Wii is indeed so successful is because most people do not have any HDTV equipment and know how to appreciate what the Wii offers.

“The Nintendo 3DS is possible because it is a portable console and it works without 3D glasses. For the living room, consumers would need a 3D TV and it will take some time before enough households have 3D TVs.”

“Many people still have a lot of fun with the Wii, there are still many good games out for it. But we think about a successor once a console is launched. We monitor the market closely. When the time comes, we will announce a successor. But that will not be anytime soon.”

Yep, I don’t know a single person with HDTV equipment. Might have to wait another 10 years before I get me one of those “high definition” thingamajigs.

With Microsoft releasing Kinect and Sony blatantly aiming for the Wii’s audience with Move, it’s hard to imagine how Nintendo hopes to survive the console war in the long run. Give us a new Wii Nintendo! Mario’s shoulders are starting to hurt.

E3 2010: How one shirt made me laugh and cry

Jeffrey L. Wilson — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 04:24:22 +0000

My love for the SEGA Dreamcast knows no bounds. None. NONE.

I recognize and realize that it’s more than a little bit geeky/odd/insane to imply that my experiences in this video game hobby draws sharp parallels to dating actual living breathing women, but it feels apt. Sonic, for example, is the abusive wife who continuously takes advantage of my love and forgiveness only to hurt me time and time again.

The Dreamcast, on the other hand, was the dream girl that instantly caught my eye and had everything that I could ever want in a woman. But, alas, she mysteriously vanished just as she ensnared my heart. So it was with a small sting in the the chest that I crossed SEGA booth’s E3 2010 booth in search of Crazy Taxi and Sonic Adventure-two of the first Dreamcast games that are going to be re-released on the PS3 and Xbox 360 (and also two of the first Dreamcast games I ever played). SEGA sought to simultaneously promote and celebrate this occasion by distributing this item of deisre:

Knickers? Soiled.

At that moment my mind couldn’t connect the dots between the shirt and the impending Dreamcast downloadables. Dreamcast 2 was all that danced in my skull. Dreamcast 2. Dreamcast 2. Dreamcast 2. SEGA had finally listened to its base and returned to crafting innovative hardware–at least in my temporarily out of order brain. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that the shirt read “Dreamcast 2010″, not “Dreamcast 2 2010.” I had to hold back the man-tears.

After the initial shock faded, I was able to absorb the fact that Dreamcast games are coming to modern consoles–it’s not the Dreamcast 2, but still a most excellent occurrence. Much like the SEGA Saturn’s library, the Dreamcast catalog has been living in limbo for quite a time; a shame, really, as it has one of the deepest and most creative innovative libraries in video game history. I’m happy that SEGA Dreamcast games are returning, but it also makes me sad in a way.

This Dreamcast t-shirt is an artifact representing the last hurrah of a company long associated with the type of arcade-hardcore style of play that I enjoyed as a kid, teen, and now as an adult. I’ve given up hope that SEGA will return to the console wars, so all I have are the memories and the company’s new crop of games to keep the warm fuzzies alive.

I think I’ll fire up Sonic & SEGA All-Star Racing and relive the Dreamcast-like magic.

E3 2010: New slim Xbox 360, Kinect appear in Los Angeles

Jeffrey L. Wilson — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 23:42:18 +0000

Microsoft kicked off the unofficial start of E3 2010 with a media event that confirmed a long-running rumor that Microsoft has been working on a slim version of the Xbox 360.

The new black, sleeker “whisper-quiet” slim Xbox 360 features built-in 802.11n Wi-Fi, wireless headset, Xbox 360 headset, HDMI, USB flash storage capabilities, and a 250GB hard drive. Surprisingly, the system will be available for purchase this week for $299.

And should you get that spanking new slim Xbox, you may consider picking up Project Natal, err, Kinect for Microsoft Xbox 360. The Kinect itself is launching this November with 15 games. Pricing has yet to be announced.

Dreamcast boombox mod blends ol’ school, new school

Jeffrey L. Wilson — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 11:38:26 +0000

There are three types of people in this world in need of boomboxes: Bronx natives circa 1980, Lloyd Dobler, and now Dreamcast fans. One of these is a very, very recent development.

A Chinese modder by the name of XCKDIY crammed SEGA’s greatest console into a portable stereo system. Why? No clue. But I suspect playing Jet Grind Radio on this bad boy is all kinds of awesome.

Hit the link to check out video of the Dreamcast boombox in action.

[Hat tip: Tiny Cartridge]

The Wire, Sex and the City, and more come to PlayStation Store

Jeffrey L. Wilson — Tue, 25 May 2010 20:40:50 +0000

If you ever had a hankering to watch Curb Your Enthusiam on your PlayStation 3 or PSP, then you’ll love the news that’s rolled out of Sony’s camp. The company has inked a deal with HBO to deliver premium programming to its gaming platforms.

Beginning today, Big Love, Rome, Sex and the City, The Wire, Flight of the Conchords, and other beloved HBO shows will be available for purchase in the PlayStation Store, which means you can bone up on Carrie Bradshaw’s adventures before being dragged by the girlfriend to see Sex and the City 2.

I’d be curious to know of the DRM restrictions (seriously, you know these vids will have some sort of protection), but this may not be too bad a deal if you want to buy select episodes and cut the cable cord.

Virtual Vox Pop: Best console ever?

Jeffrey L. Wilson — Sat, 22 May 2010 15:45:57 +0000

As E3 2010 rapidly approaches, the invitable video game rumors have begun to circulate. As media, gamers, and insidious fanboys speculate about the show’s happenings, there’s much chatter about a PSP2, PSPhone, Xbox 360 Slim, Xbox 720, and, sadly, Dreamcast 2. These systems, which currently live in the realm of fantasy, have got me to thinking of video game consoles of days past and present.

Over the course of my 20+ years of gaming, I’ve owned just about every system worth owning (except for the SEGA Master System and PlayStation 3 ) and I love them all for different reasons. The Xbox 360 nailed online gaming and digital distribution. The PC Engine opened my eyes to importing and the 2D shooter/shmup. The PlayStation brought a level of maturity to gaming.

But it’s Dreamcast that lives in my heart. In it’s short run, it managed to crank out several titles across a wide range of categories. It had a nice variety of 2D fighters, shmups, and bad ass SEGA originals that represented the height of the company’s creativity. Plus it had a web browser (which I used to download character packs for Fire Pro D) and VMUs.

Although I’d like to think that my word is law (much like a kindly, benevolent dictator), I recognize that it’s not. So please share what you consider to be the best console ever. I promise not to judge even though you’ll probably be patently wrong.

Wii is back in black with new bundle

Thomas Rivas — Mon, 03 May 2010 17:45:52 +0000

Earlier today, Nintendo confirmed rumors that a new bundle is less than a week away. Here’s their official release:

Starting May 9, Nintendo will add new elements to the baseline Wii™ system package offered at retailers throughout the Americas. In addition to the intuitive, motion-sensing Wii Remote™ controller, Nunchuk™ controller and popular Wii Sports™ game that currently comes standard with each system purchase, every new unit will now also come packaged with Wii Sports Resort™ and the control-enhancing Wii MotionPlus™ accessory. In addition, consumers will be able to choose between two color schemes for the Wii console and included controllers: original white, or a new black option. The U.S. suggested retail price of the new system package will remain at $199.99.

If you’re one of the five people left in the world without a Wii or you bought an Xbox 360 Elite just because it was black, this is definitely good news. Check back to see if they’ll throw in an AC/DC single…

Is the universal console the future of gaming?

Jeffrey L. Wilson — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 00:36:47 +0000

image courtesy of Popgadget

My 36th birthday rapidly approaches as the calendar flips toward mid-May, and along with the “OMG I’m almost 40!” thoughts floating in the back of my head comes several perplexities. Why does my right knee suddenly need massage once a week so that it doesn’t stiffen up? Is being single and childless the right life decision?

Sadly,those aren’t the most pertinent questions; these are: Why have I owned nearly 20 video game systems over my lifetime? And why do they continue to occupy valuable apartment space? The answers to questions one and two are quite simplistic, but three and four would require the joint efforts of Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony to create the ultimate gift to gamers: The universal video game console.

The Atati 2600, NES, SNES, Genesis, Turbo Grafx-16, PC Engine Duo-RX, Neo Geo, Dreamcast, PlayStation, Neo Geo Pocket Color, Game Boy Color, Nintendo DS, Xbox, Xbox 360 and more have all graced my home – - many of which at the same time. I’m neither a pack rat or collector despite the fact that across the room from me at this very moment sits a heavily worn box of controllers, cords, and consoles. I simply believe that the best and truest gaming experience comes when playing original carts and discs in their original systems. I hate the clutter and, even worse, the idea of acquiring more. That’s where the idea of the universal console comes into play.

In my brightest, happiest fantasies, the universal console would have hardware built by Sony (Blu-ray, region-free), an online component provided by Microsoft, and the marketing promotion and savvy that only Nintendo could execute. The merger isn’t radical as you would think, at least in terms of hardware. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 have similar input devices and hardware, and all three systems have embraced motion controls. Already, the consoles are moving toward center.

Still, detractors will ultimately scream that the perceived lack of competition will stymie innovation. That is patently wrong. DVD and Blu-ray players have universal standards that will allow any movie house to produce flicks for those player; the competition exists in creating the best flicks possible, not the greatest hardware. Still, not everyone agrees with this assessment. Johnathan Boutet of Nerd Blerp believes that the universal console would be bad for the gaming industry.

As cool as the concept for universal system is I feel that it would unravel the very alliance that gamers have with big name companies (Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft). If you have one system that can play all games then the space race to have a new system ends. If one company has a universal system then where’s the competition? To have a better system that plays universal titles? No matter how you look at it you can never unite gamers to support one system, making the “universal” aspect of the system obsolete.

I respectfully disagree with Mr. Boutet. The push to update the universal console would come as naturally as optical disc advancement. We’ve moved from CD to DVD to Blu-ray technologies in order to accomodoate more data per disc; the same could occur in terms of console’s CPU and GPU power.

Plus, it would kill fanboyism! Have you ever heard of DVD player or Blu-ray player fanboys? “OMG my Blu-rayz betterz n urs, LULZ!” No, because doesn’t exist (at least not in the real world; I wouldn’t discount the ogres that live in the bowels of the internet). Film-watchers have equal access to the same movie players made of roughly the same quality. Sure, some may have better builds than others, but under the hood the technology enables unversal interoperability that doesn’t exclude portions of the population that have the “wrong” model. Could you imagine the outcry that would come if say, Iron Man 2, was exclusive to Sony Blu-ray players, making it unplayable in Samsung’s? Or to put it into a real world scenario, remember the heinous Blu-ray vs. HD-DVD race? Film buffs (wisely) weren’t going to support both formats, so I can’t understand why gamers wish to do so. Simply because we’ve always had competing video game systems doesn’t mean that it’s good for the end user.

Expense is also a huge factor. In order to play all of the great games of this generation, you’re going to spend several hundred dollars on hardware, plus drop $40 to $60 per game. This hobby ain’t cheap, and an universal console would help keep some greenbacks in you wallet.

The universal console is my pipe dream, but according to Terry Lewis of The Other View, it already exists. And we all have one.

I thought we already had a universal console — it’s called a PC. It plays games most of the consoles have, you have unlimited accessories including endless controller options, which can have rumble features and motion control, mice, keyboards and webcams, plus you have multimedia capabilities (music, videos, and images) including Blu-ray playback, plus it has the best online play that beats even the best the big three have to offer. I say let’s make a big push to bring the PC back to the top as the ultimate gaming machine. PC: The one gaming system that’s truly universal (And should I also mention it plays teh romz??)

I won’t even get into the PC vs. console debate here (well, at least in this article), so I’ll conclude on this: The universal console would be awesome, but I admit i’s unlikely…at least for the next generation or two. The future of the universal console may lie in services such as OnLive that stream games via the internet. One console. Relatively inexpensive. No clutter.

I can get behind that.

Has Gizmodo unearthed the next-gen iPhone?

Thomas Rivas — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 04:32:28 +0000

An Apple employee’s drunken folly has taken the internet by storm while simultaneously winning this year’s Damn, I’m So Fired Award. After being carelessly left at a bar in Redwood City, an unconfirmed iPhone prototype was found cleverly disguised in the robes of a common 3GS and taken home by its sticky-fingered founder for further observation. Though theft should never be condoned…whatever man, it’s an iPhone, so finder’s keepers.

From what we can see from photos, the new model has a front-facing camera for video chat and flash for the existing back plate camera. The sleek curves that we’ve come to associate with Apple products have been shaved down for this model, leaving a product that, in my opinion, is shaped similarly to that of a Microsoft Zune or T-Mobile G1 (OOOH NO HE DIDN’T).

Though Apple has yet to publicly comment on the photos, late Monday night, Gizmodo said that it received a letter from Bruce Sewell, Apple’s senior vice president and general counsel, requesting the phone back. “It has come to our attention that Gizmodo is currently in possession of a device that belongs to Apple. This letter constitutes a formal request that you return the device to Apple,” the letter said.

So if it quacks like a duck and walks like a duck, it’s a new iPhone. But if it walks with a limp and screams like a girl, chances are it just got fired by Steve Jobs.

[Hat tip: Gizmodo]

Is this the Nintendo 3DS or a product from a dude with WAY too much time on his hands?

Thomas Rivas — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 23:52:53 +0000

3DS or BS?

I’ve never been a big fan of rumors, but it’s hard to ignore the images that have surfaced on the web recently of what’s touted as being the upcoming Nintendo 3DS. Whether or not this is the forthcoming Nintendo handheld many have been waiting to see or some guy’s elaborate hoax remains to be known.

The images first popped up on a Japanese blog and show what appears to be a prototype system in action as it takes photos, serves as a writing tablet and plays games on a single screen that can be positioned horizontally or vertically. From what I can see, it looks a lot like an old-school Gameboy that’s been upgraded for a new generation, but that’s just me.

Tell us what you think. Are we seeing leaked footage of the new Nintendo 3DS or some Japanese kid’s middle school science project?

Virtual Vox Pop: Will you purchase the Nintendo DSi XL with the Nintendo 3DS coming down the pipe?