Author: RPadTV

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Today’s Poll: Apple iPad 2 Launch vs. Nintendo 3DS Launch

The Apple iPad 2 launched last Friday and some analysts believe that nearly one-million units were sold over the weekend. Later this month, the Nintendo 3DS will launch and demand is expected to be similarly crazy. Which product will have the more impressive launch week? On one hand, the iPad 2 has a broader appeal since it’s a multifaceted device that offers excellent browsing, decent gaming, and fantastic media consumption. The Nintendo 3DS is also multifaceted, but its focus is on gaming. It also has the allure of 3D and a lower price point. Which company will sell more in week one? Take today’s poll and state your case (please)!

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Insomniac’s Click Division Focuses on Mobile and Social

At SXSW 2011, Insomniac Games announced Insomniac Click, a division of the company that will focus on mobile and social games. Chief Creative Officer Brian Hastings called mobile and social gaming “a pragmatic necessity” in a recent blog post. It’s also telling that this announcement was made at SXSW instead of PAX East — a very shrewd move since the former draws a broad audience while announcing at the latter would have been preaching to choir.

Here’s more from Hastings on Insomniac Click:

Insomniac Games is proud to introduce our newest division: Insomniac Click. It is dedicated to creating new games for web and mobile platforms. Insomniac Click is an expansion of the company rather than a shift. With the exception of myself, everyone working in the group has been newly hired specifically for their expertise in this space. All our existing teams are still 100% dedicated to making unforgettable AAA console experiences with our proprietary blend of double rainbows and awesomesauce.

I’m thrilled about the move. I can’t wait to enjoy some Insomniac magic on the iPad 2 or on Facebook. Companies like Epic and id have raised the bar on mobile games, while BioWare is doing some fantastic work on Facebook. It’s fantastic that the companies we love on consoles are extending their reach to mobile and social platforms. They kind of have to…even though some people hate these platforms. Ha!

What do you think of Insomniac’s foray into the land of mobile and social gaming?

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AT&T To Start Capping DSL and U-Verse Internet in May

Any of you use AT&T for your home Internet service? Well you better start paying attention to your usage because it looks like the company will impose data caps on its DSL and U-Verse Internet services. According to DSL Reports, DSL users will “enjoy” a 150GB monthly cap, while U-Verse users will get 250GB. Users will be charged an overage fee of $10 per 50GB, but only if they’ve exceeded the cap three times.

While some people feel that these caps are pretty lenient, I believe that’s just short term thinking. Data caps get in the way of innovation and restrict what users can do with the Internet. Streaming HD games, movies, and television is becoming more common all the time. The value of services like Hulu, Netflix, and Onlive takes a dive if customers can’t take advantage of their unlimited offerings due to data caps.

When you throw in the American telecom industry’s general lack of competition and carriers unwilling to spend money to fatten their data pipes, the caps seem even more bogus. Having said that, I know that most users aren’t aware of their usage and don’t care about bandwidth caps or shaping. What do you think of AT&T’s upcoming practice? Is it outrageous? Or are you fine with it?

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This Week’s Videogame Releases

March continues to come in like a lion with a number of strong videogame releases. THQ has high hopes for Homefront and is dropping a ton of marketing dollars on this action game. Yakuza 4 will appeal to gamers that want to spend some time in the world of Japanese organized crime. Top Spin 4 adds motion controls to 2K’s long running tennis series. Warriors: Legends of Troy is like Samurai Warriors, but with men in leather skirts and sandals. Ar Tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel adds another installment to this quirky Japanese RPG series. Gods Eater Burst is one of my favorite videogame names in a long, long time — it’s just awesomely weird.

I’m still kicking around Kirkwall in Dragon Age 2, so I’m good for a bit. How about you? Any of you picking up new games this week?

Coffee Talk #316: Your Worst Launch Experience

I got to see the dark side of a big product launch as I was snapping pictures and getting quotes for a magazine article on the iPad 2 launch. At two Los Angeles Apple Stores, I interviewed a bunch of people that…

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Sergio Martinez gunning for boxing’s pound-for-pound best distinction, Intelligentsia’s Anjilanaka Organic Bolivia, or the global impact of a nuclear reactor meltdown in Japan, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

The launch of a hot consumer electronics device always leaves thousands of people happy…and thousands of people disappointed, angry, or sad. I got to see the dark side of a big product launch as I was snapping pictures and getting quotes for a magazine article on the iPad 2 launch. At two Los Angeles Apple Stores, I interviewed a bunch of people that waited in line for hours and were not able to get the iPad 2 model they wanted. All of them were pissed off about wasting their time.

Even online shoppers were angry. When the iPad 2 launched a tad before 1:00AM on March 11, 2011, it had an estimated ship date of three to five days. After a couple of hours the wait increased to three to four weeks. People that were hoping to avoid lines at retail stores on day one now had the lovely option of waiting until April for an iPad 2. To be fair, I’m pretty sure that the estimated ship dates are being exaggerated so that Apple has some wiggle room. Additionally, new iPad 2 shipments should be arriving daily to Apple Stores, Best Buy, AT&T stores, Verizon stores, etc., so brick-and-mortar supply should be reasonable before April.

The bottom line (which is funny for Coffee Talk 3:16) is that while hundreds of thousands of people are happy with their new iPads, there are thousands of people that are pissed off with the way Apple handled the launch.

Out of curiosity, what was your worst launch experience? Did you wait in line for a PlayStation 2 or an iPhone 3GS? Did you scour online retailers to get a new console when stores were sold out? Or have you never had a launch experience since you were happy to wait until you didn’t have to jump through hoops to get product? Kindly share your worst launch experience in today’s Coffee Talk!

Orapa = Internet TV on Xbox 360?

It looks like Microsoft is getting closer to launching an Internet television service for Xbox 360. ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley received some details on the company’s “Orapa” IPTV service, which will hit Xbox 360, Windows PCs, and Windows Phone 7. Here’s the skinny:

Orapa, in development now, is going to be a combination of Xbox Live and Microsoft’s Mediaroom IPTV, from what I’m hearing. It would give Microsoft a way to turn TV into a service that it could deliver to Xbox customers first, and Windows, Windows Phone and set-top-box customers, later.

Orapa will enable the mash-up of Mediaroom features, Xbox Live social features (like avatars and recommendations), Kinect sensing capabilities, and some of those forthcoming Ventura music/video services. Remember the circa-2007 rumors about Microsoft “Carbon,” an add-on for Xbox that was supposedly going to add IPTV video playback? Orapa seems to be the successor to that initiative, my sources say.

I’m so excited by the prospect of “cutting the cord” from (crap bag) Time Warner Cable. Right now Apple TV is the most interesting option, with its recently announced live HD streaming of NBA and MLB games in addition to a large selection of movies and TV shows. That said, I see a ton of potential with Orapa, simply because I’m confident that Microsoft will throw an obscene amount of money behind it (see Zune, Kinect, etc.).

My dream is for a console that lets me stream live HD of WWE programming, HBO boxing, Yankees games, and American Idol. Is that too much to ask?!?

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Coffee Talk #315: Mobile & Social Games Are Like X-Men

During my GDC 2011 networking (i.e. drinking and talking with people), I noticed an irrational hatred for mobile and social games. There was a small, but vocal, percentage of people I spoke with that hate…

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, crazy earthquakes and tsunamis, the iPad 2 launch, or legal issues derailing Floyd Mayweather’s career, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

During my GDC 2011 networking (i.e. drinking and talking with people), I noticed an irrational hatred for mobile and social games. There was a small, but vocal, percentage of people I spoke with that hate this segment of gaming for no good reason. They were spread over a variety of jobs in the business too — developers, publishers, marketers, journalists, etc. After one fellow mentioned that he didn’t know why he hated mobile and social games, I replied, “So they’re like the X-Men? You hate and fear them for no reason?”

Don’t get me wrong, if you don’t like mobile and/or social games, that’s fine. The negative feelings I encountered were much more active than that — as if these kinds of games hurt the business or they weren’t “real” games. I really didn’t understand the sentiment. Why waste energy on actively hating mobile and social games? Isn’t it easier to focus on the games you like instead of expending negative energy? It seems silly to me.

Just to check myself, I wanted to get your thoughts on mobile and social gaming. Do you actively hate them? Do you not like them? Are you excited by the new and exciting things they bring to gaming? Or are they just kind of there and you ignore them? Share your feelings like a Care Bear and explain your stance (please)!

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

The Decision has been made! I’m going to hold off on playing Pokemon White. This weekend is all about Dragon Age II for me. I’ve only played a little over five hours and I’m loving it. Yes, I understand that a lot of features have been simplified in order to broaden its appeal, but I think that a lot of reviewers have blown things out of proportion. The gameplay is easier in some ways, simpler in others, but the storytelling and characterization are fantastic thus far. I’m curious to see if I’ll change my tune over the weekend.

How about you? What’s on your weekend playlist?

New Dissidia 012 Video is Full of Lightning (and Yuna!)

My favorite thing about the Dissidia series is marking out when heroes from different Final Fantasy games share the screen. This latest Dissidia 012 [Duodecim] clip features Lightning from Final Fantasy XIII and Yuna from Final Fantasy X (as well as loads of other characters). That’s so awesome! Lightning has a ton of fans, but I’m a pretty big Yuna mark — FFX is my favorite “modern” Final Fantasy game and I thought she was a charming character. Seeing them together gives me warm fuzzies…and also naughty thoughts of watching them make out.

Check out the video and let me know what you think (please!).