C.E.S 2010 : 3D Boogaloo

Another year, another C.E.S.. Seeing as this blog receives nowhere near 500 unique views per month (hell, I would be surprise if I get more than 10), I was ineligible to attend the show personally. Thus, I spent much of last week on Gizmodo and engadget, furiously refreshing my browser, and reading every update within seconds of being posted. If you haven't guessed by now, I'm a gamer and tech nerd. After finally processing all the new info, ive come to one simple conclusion. C.E.S 2010 should really have been called C.E.S 2010 : 3D Boogaloo. (I just wanted to work that joke in) But seriously, you couldn't turn a corner, (or in my case refresh a page) without seeing or hearing the word 3D. I will admit though, I really like the thought of 3D televisions. I admit, if a movie releases in theaters, and it's in 3D, I will make an effort to see it. Even if I don't really care for the movie itself, the 3D aspect draws me in. So i'm looking forward to seeing these T.V.'s in stores, as i'm sure said t.v.s are likely going to be ridiculously expensive.

In gaming news, not much seemed to come out of the show. Microsoft showed off Game Room. In theory, this is actually a really cool concept. However the business model on the service, really puts me off. I understand it's Microsoft, and they're a business, so the games won't be free. But the fact they're basically going to be charging 40 MS points (50 cents) for one play if you don't buy the game, is just horrible. It's as if they're now charging you for a demo of the game. "Don't think of it like that" you say. "It recreates the arcade experience!" you say. My replay : If Microsoft is going to give me a free high-quality arcade stick to experience these games like I would in an arcade, then I would be happy to pay 50 cents per play a few times. Also, unless you bring in house of the dead 2, it is not a complete arcade experience.

Surprisingly, I would say the biggest gaming announcement, at least to me, is the fact the Palm Pre is getting 3D gaming support. (No not pop out of the screen 3D like everyone else). Need for speed, Tetris, monopoly, and the Sims 3 are definately a good start. Though I may be a bit bias as I own a Pre, but I think this is the start of some quality apps beginning to appear in the WebOS App Catalog.

That's pretty much it for now. This was just a quick update, with thoughts off the top of my head. I might update this post as I remember stuff I feel the need to write about.

Lego Guitar Hero : DJ edition

I recently had an AIM conversation with a few friends of mine. Interestingly, one considers himself a rhythm game enthusiast. And given his recent purchases, it shows. Within the past two weeks he purchased DJ Hero, and Lego Rock Band. Interestingly, he seemed show a bit of a dislike towards both. Well, to be fair he enjoyed DJ Hero, he just described the set list itself as a "chore". And his displeasure of Lego Rock Band surprised me. He can be described easily as the biggest Harmonix fan-boy, blindly buying anything they release. We sort of began to make fun of this friends purchase of DJ Hero, with my casually mentioning that Activision will release "Lego Guitar Hero : DJ Edition".

Anyway, this little anecdote led me to begin pondering the state of the rhythm game genre. It seems as if it's on its last legs in terms of quality and innovation. From this point on it seems there will be nothing more than new release after new release of the same game with a different set list. I'd be willing to bet that, with the way Activision keeps churning these things out, we really WILL see "Lego Guitar Hero : DJ Edition". Which I'm sure my friend will buy, and even if he is literally the only person to purchase, will more than justify a "Lego Guitar Hero DJ Edition 2 : World tour" the next year.

E3 2009 Preview

      A year ago Microsoft created uproar amongst the gaming community at their E3 Press Conference, announcing that Final Fantasy XIII would be released on the Xbox 360. Nintendo disappointed with what many consider to be the worst press conference since Sony '06. And Sony itself had a rather lukewarm conference, showing off many already announced games.

      Alas that won't stop industry insiders and some lucky enthusiasts from flocking to the gaming equivalent of the Superbowl, The Electronic Entertainment Expo, aka E3. E3 2009 will take place June 2,3, and 4 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

      This year Microsoft is shaping up to once again steal the show. The biggest rumor going around is that Microsoft will be announcing an Xbox 360 motion-sensing camera, currently codenamed "The Xbox Z-cam."

      Microsoft has long been rumored to have a motion controlled controller in the works to compete with Nintendo's Wiimote and Sony's Sixaxis controller. Early prototypes suggest that the Z-cam will track player body movement, and will be capable of tracking both big movements and tiny gestures.

      Another thing to look forward to is that Microsoft is possibly working on a new handheld device that would seek to counter the success of the Nintendo DS, Apple iPod Touch/ iphone and the Sony PSP.

      The product is currently codenamed ZuneX, which suggests that it provides a middle ground between the Xbox and Zune. According to technology blog Gizmodo, leaked spec details state that the ZuneX will have a 32GB flash storage, 4 analog buttons, 2 shoulder buttons, an analog stick attachment, have support for Xbox Live arcade games, and will be OnLive ready. Of course It's entirely possible the ZuneX will be something completely different

      From the Sony camp, are two major rumors. The first is that Sony will announce a PS3 redesign coupled with a $100 Price cut. While a redesign at this point in the consoles life cycle seems highly unlikely, a price drop is badly needed for Sony if they plan to compete with the much cheaper Wii and 360.

      Following its older brother, the PSP is also expected to receive a redesign announcement. Codenamed the PSP Go!, this model will allegedly drop the UMD disc drive, in favor of internal storage. It is also expected to have a larger screen. The new PSP model has all but been confirmed as the gaming site 1UP has published an article stating the UMD-less hardware will ship this Fall in Japan and North America, with Sony bringing 100 PSP titles to the PlayStation Store.

      While Sony and Microsoft tend to save their major announcements for E3, Nintendo isn't exactly known for their show-stopping press conferences. Typically, they hold out their announcements until the Tokyo Games Show. As such, there isn't much speculation regarding Nintendo's E3 showing this year. I'm going to throw out that we will see the reveal of a new Zelda game and a new Mario game. Don't get your hopes up though, as the Mario game will likely be a sequel to one of the many Mario spin-off games, such as Mario Party. Also, I expect Nintendo to make a big deal out of the Pokemon Gold and Silver remakes. Just to throw in a wild E3 rumor like everyone else, I'm going to say : Nintendo to announce Wii Hard drive at E3.

      Overall, this year's E3 is shaping up to be a major improvement over the last couple of years, when you take into account the expected announcements from third part publishers such as EA and Activision, as well as the attendance cap being raised to around 50,000, it's possible E3 will once again be seen in the same importance it used to be.

Updates and Site Changes.

       Lately, I've had the urge to start publishing stories and articles again. Given the nature of my journalism class, about 95% of my recent articles have been credited, but remained unpublished.

       I used to run a videogaming rumor site, the videogaming report. For a while, it was pretty successful for a micro-blog, at one point reaching 7,000 visitors a day ( alas that only lasted for like 2 days). Running the site was fun while it lasted, but being only one man, running the site took a toll on me. I was literally online pretty much every waking hour, scouring the internet for any news or tips to report before anyone else. Alas, the readers waned, and it seemed as if all the work was in vain. Eventually, I slowly abandoned the site. Part of it was because I felt I was putting to much work into nothing, another part of it was I was sort of clouded by a friend of mine claiming I could make money off a blog like that. I was obviously writing for the wrong reasons.

       I digress though, My point is, I'm back as a blogger. This site, was originally a spin off of to my main blog, allowing me to write random rants whenever I wanted. Now It's going to be a sort of hybrid. I'm going to start publishing my gaming articles and opinions on here, along with the occasional rant. It won't be updated every time I come across a rumor like my old gaming site. I just can't keep up with gaming news by myself. Rather, expect reviews, previews, and just general opinion. It won't be limited to gaming either, I plan to write about all aspects of entertainment, as I see fit.

So please, stay a while, read my old stuff if you will. Comment if you wish, I enjoy constructive criticism

Rant on writing, and ignorant students

You know, i've been thinking lately about my wanting to be an author. Well, I think it's every author's goal to, obviously, be successful, and have your work read by everyone. I also think every author wants to be remembered for their work, for years to come, if not decades, or hell even centuries. And yet, I can't help but notice that so many authors, though there works typically are good, are usually remembered for all the wrong reasons. Case in point : Literature taught in school. Most students these days look at a book and think "Oh, I HAVE to read it, screw that sparknotes" and they'll also curse the author for writing the book in the first place. No matter that it may be a damn good book that millions of people before enjoy, once one person condemns a book, it seems as if a ripple effect flows through the class and everyone thinks the books sucks because they just don't want to read. And this dear reader, is why I fear our future. Many students can't even read a damn book, how the hell can we trust them to run a country. Now, I know, I'm jumping the gun a little here. Majority of these students won't move past their low income entry level jobs, and won't amount to anything in life. And yet, its possible one can slip through the cracks, I mean look at a Mister George W. Bush. I guess, this is all more or less a roundabout way of saying, If my work ever becomes a classic, and you say I suck as an author without even reading my book, then Fuck you!