Category: Coffee Talk

Coffee Talk #448: Used Games on Xbox 720, a Deal Breaker?

With the rumor that the Xbox 720 will have some sort of anti-used-game feature, I was curious to hear how much of a factor not playing used games will be for you. Most of us agree that blocking used games would be bad for consumers and…

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, sharpening your video poker skills before heading to Vegas, Japanese curry, or Great Tea Latte Kit Kats, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

With the rumor that the Xbox 720 will have some sort of anti-used-game feature, I was curious to hear how much of a factor not playing used games will be for you. Most of us agree that blocking used games would be bad for consumers and retailers, but what’s it worth to you personally? Will it be a major purchasing consideration? Or will you just grin and bear it?

I see it playing out a bit like backwards compatibility. It will be a huge deal for a small number of gamers; there are some people that will not buy a console that can’t play used games (totally understandable). A larger group of people will make a lot of noise, scream, and shout about the travesty of consoles that can’t play used games…and go ahead and buy one despite their bluster. I believe that the majority of consumers won’t know or won’t care if a console can’t play used games.

So is this issue a deal breaker for you? Kindly let me know if not being able to play used games will be a factor in your future console purchasing decisions. Also let me know how you think most people will treat the issue (please!).

Coffee Talk #447: Are You Buying a Wii U?

Nintendo has confirmed that the Wii U will be released in time for the 2012 holiday season. I know that a lot of you were down on the Wii and the Nintendo 3DS, but it’s my civic responsibility (not really) to check if you’re at all interested in picking up a Wii U…

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, disappointing ramen, creme brulee, or paying homage to Juan Epstein, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Nintendo has confirmed that the Wii U will be released in time for the 2012 holiday season. I know that a lot of you were down on the Wii and the Nintendo 3DS, but it’s my civic responsibility (not really) to check if you’re at all interested in picking up a Wii U. So how about it?!?

If you’re already on the hook, please tell me why you’re set to pick up a Wii U. If you’re definitely not buying it, please tell me what you don’t like about the system. If you’re taking the wait-and-see approach, please tell me what features and/or games you’re waiting for.

Coffee Talk #446: The Most Dominant Athlete Ever

It was difficult watching the Australian Open semifinal between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. I had no faith in Federer winning the match. He was never the strongest player on the tour, nor did he ever have the biggest serve, the most…

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, disappointing ramen, creme brulee, or paying homage to Juan Epstein, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

It was difficult watching the Australian Open semifinal between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. I had no faith in Federer winning the match. He was never the strongest player on the tour, nor did he ever have the biggest serve, the most powerful ground strokes, or the most stinging volleys. His beautiful game is based on outstanding movement and precision ball striking. At age 30, he has lost half a step and his reaction time is a wee bit slower. Amazingly, he’s still good enough to go deep in any major tournament. I just don’t think he’s good enough to win another grand slam (without some fantastic luck and a friendly draw).

Roger Federer is the most dominant athlete I’ve ever seen. He terrorized the tour from 2004 to 2007, winning 11 of the 16 grand slam tournaments in that time period. He spent 285 consecutive weeks as the number-one ranked player in the world. He reached the semifinals or better in 23 grand slam tournaments in a row. He appeared in 18 of 19 grand slam finals from the 2005 Wimbledon Championships through the 2010 Australian Open. He’s had some rough moments over the last few years, particularly on clay and against Nadal, but I don’t think I’ll see an athlete like that again in my lifetime. He’s been playing at the highest level of the sport since 2003 and for four years he was virtually unstoppable.

Of course, that’s just my opinion. Who would you say is the most dominant athlete you’ve ever seen?

Coffee Talk #445: Solar Flares, Super Powers, and You

Radiation from the largest solar flare in six years will be hitting planet Earth today. This, of course, means that many of us will be getting new super powers. Some of the effects will be immediate, while others will see their powers manifest over,,,

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, RIM’s new CEO, Mitt Romney’s tax returns, or the third Olsen sister, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Radiation from the largest solar flare in six years will be hitting planet Earth today. This, of course, means that many of us will be getting new super powers. Some of the effects will be immediate, while others will see their powers manifest over a longer period of time. Since a number of us are about to become Übermensch, I thought it would be a great time to discuss the superhero powers of your dreams.

As for me, I’m going to go with Wonder Man’s ionic powers. The dude is pretty much immortal and invulnerable since he’s made of ionic energy. Not having to eat, drink, or breathe is handy too — super useful for apocalyptic events and alien invasions. And to be completely honest, this choice is mostly derived from picking up Peter David’s underrated My Fair Super Hero from the discount rack at the comic-book store recently.

Now it’s your turn! As your body is bombarded with an unusually high amount of solar radiation today, what kind of super powers are you hoping to get?

Coffee Talk #444: Your (Initial) Super Bowl XLVI Prediction

The teams for Super Bowl XLVI are set! It’s that classic East Coast battle of the New England Patriots taking on the New York (Football) Giants. While the AFC and NFC Championship games are still fresh on your minds, I wanted to hear your initial picks for the Super Bowl. Who are you picking? What’s your spread? Who’s…

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, the Red Sox pursuit of Roy Oswalt, watching Moneyball over and over again, or wishing you were on an airplane, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

The teams for Super Bowl XLVI are set! It’s that classic East Coast battle of the New England Patriots taking on the New York (Football) Giants. While the AFC and NFC Championship games are still fresh on your minds, I wanted to hear your initial picks for the Super Bowl. Who are you picking? What’s your spread? Who’s going to have a break-out game? Who’s going to choke?

Of course this topic will be revisited in early February, but I wanted to get your gut feelings after yesterday’s games. So have at it (please)!

Coffee Talk #443: Paying For an American Made Console

Last night my friend Paul and I were talking about Jon Stewart’s hilarious and sad rant about Apple and Foxconn. It got us thinking about the possibility of American-made consoles. Initially I was dreaming about Microsoft, being an American company and all, pricing the next Xbox a little higher than the competition…

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, Verve’s El Salvador Los Toreros Bourbon, the sad fall of Kodak, or people Tebowing in front of abortion clinics (see Tosh.0), Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Last night my friend Paul and I were talking about Jon Stewart’s hilarious and sad rant about Apple and Foxconn. It got us thinking about the possibility of American-made consoles. Initially I was dreaming about Microsoft, being an American company and all, pricing the next Xbox a little higher than the competition but using American factories to assemble it. Paul thought that was too unrealistic, so he proposed Microsoft releasing two versions of the Xbox 720 (or whatever it will be called): one made in America and one made in China/Mexico/insert-cheap-labor-country-here. That’s when things got more interesting.

It’s still unrealistic given how publicly-traded companies work, but let’s play this game for a bit. Would you pay extra for an American-made videogame-console? How much extra, if anything, would you pay for a console that supports American factory workers? It’s totally cool if your answer is $0; I’m sure that most U.S. Americans don’t care, but I’m curious to see if some of you do and how much more you’d be willing to spend. Kindly vote in the poll and expand on your answer in the comments section.

[poll id=”143″]

Coffee Talk #442: CES 2012 Aftermath

CES 2012 has come and gone! What did you think of this year’s show? Any products or technology jump out at you? Taking an informal poll of my friends in attendance (mostly videogame journalists, a few tech writers), television technology was the most exciting thing at CES 2012. Between…

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, wishing that Steve Nash gets traded to a playoff contender, Snooki starting a boxing promotion company, or celebrities Tebowing on the red carpet, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

CES 2012 has come and gone! What did you think of this year’s show? Any products or technology jump out at you? Taking an informal poll of my friends in attendance (mostly videogame journalists, a few tech writers), television technology was the most exciting thing at CES 2012. Between OLED TVs and 4K TVs, there were several televisions on display that had my peers drooling. These are models that most people won’t be able to afford this year or next, but are glimpses of television’s exciting future.

Personally, I was impressed by LG’s Blast Chiller. Found in select LG refrigerators, Blast Chiller can bring take a can of beer from room temperature to icy cold in about four minutes. I’m trying to get LG to send me a review unit…and several cases of Guiness so that I can thoroughly test Blast Chiller.

I was disappointed that Sony didn’t get more attention with the Vita. I suppose that most videogame writers have had Japanese units for several weeks already, but my tech writer friends didn’t really seem too interested in Sony’s next handheld. If anything, tech writers and mainstream journalists seemed fascinated by Razer’s Project Fiona. Being new and unusual definitely helped Project Fiona grab some headlines.

Here are the three products that came up the most in conversations with my peers:

  1. Razer Project Fiona — Razer’s gaming tablet is extremely powerful, but is it something people want?
  2. Samsung Galaxy Note — Is it a phone?!? Is it a tablet?!? What is it?!?
  3. HP Envy 14 Spectre — HP’s answer to the MacBook Air is beautiful and covered by Gorilla Glass.

Now it’s your turn! Please share any CES news, products, and technology that caught your interest.

Coffee Talk #441: What CES News Are You Looking Forward To?

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, hoping Snooki and Justin Bieber get into a fight at CES, catching up with old industry friends, or catching up with your old co-host, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

I’m in Las Vegas for CES 2012! Most of my time will be spent writing stories and filming video for Padvance, but I’m going to make some time to roam around and look for cool stuff. Are there any products you’re looking forward to? There’s going to be so much awesome tech at the show and I’d love to know what products interest you the most. Here are some of the things I expect to see.

  • Somewhat affordable OLED televisions
  • Quad-core Android tablets
  • Killer SSD drives at lower prices
  • Windows 8 products
  • Wearable tech
  • Tons of Ultrabooks (MacBook Air competitors)
  • Free Drinks

Give it some thought and please let me know if you want me to try and catch anything for you.

Coffee Talk #440: A New Year, New Videogame Ringtones!

As a few of you know, I’m starting off 2012 with a new computer and a new phone. To keep the whole newness thing going (and hopefully bring me some new luck), I’ve decided to use new videogame sounds on my phone. Previously, I used…

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, Jessica Biel getting engaged (*sniff*), Brock Lesnar possibly returning to pro-wrestling, or the republican caucuses, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

As a few of you know, I’m starting off 2012 with a new computer and a new phone. To keep the whole newness thing going (and hopefully bring me some new luck), I’ve decided to use new videogame sounds on my phone. Previously, my phone had a pair of sounds from Final Fantasy VII: the fanfare riff and a piano version of “Those Who Fight”. They were fantastic as a notification sound and a ringtone, respectively, but it’s time for something new!

For 2012, I’m going with sounds from The Legend of Zelda. Right now I’m juggling three different clips for notifications. The first two are from the original game: the “secret” sound and the fanfare sound. I also have an orchestral version of the fanfare sound from Skyward Sword, but I’m digging the old-school sounds a bit more. As for my ringtone, I’m using a clip of Fredde Gredde’s excellent acoustic Wind Waker medley. (He’s selling MP3s of his various videogame covers using a name-your-price system.) May the Zeldafication of my phone bring me luck in the new year!

Any of you using videogame sounds and/or music on your phone? Want to join me in changing phones sounds in 2012?

Coffee Talk #439: Your 2012 Most Wanted Games List

2011 was a fantastic year for gaming and 2012 looks even hotter! What are some of the games you’re looking forward to this year? Is your list full of sequels you expect annually? Perhaps it’s a franchise that’s making a long-awaited return. Or maybe it’s something…

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, Ricky Rubio’s surprisingly strong play, choosing between Luck and RG3, or your favorite kind of pasta, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

2011 was a fantastic year for gaming and 2012 looks even hotter! What are some of the games you’re looking forward to this year? Is your list full of sequels you expect annually? Perhaps it’s a franchise that’s making a long-awaited return. Or maybe it’s something brand new and exciting. I’d love to see what’s on your 2012 most-wanted list. I’ll kick things off with some of my picks.

  • Diablo III — It’s Blizzard. It’s an action-RPG. This game will own me.
  • BioShock Infinite — I completely expect an epic story with crazy-deep gameplay.
  • Any DLC for Dragon Age II — To be totally honest, I’m more excited for more DA content than Mass Effect 3. I love all BioWare games, but I’m more of a fantasy guy.
  • Sound Shapes — Easily the PlayStation Vita gaming I’m looking forward to the most.
  • The Last Guardian — It’s Fumito Ueda’s last game with Sony and I’m hoping he goes out with a bang.
  • Final Fantasy Versus XIII — The early buzz is that this game will blow XIII away.
  • Final Fantasy XIII-2 — I like moogles. Sue me.
  • Tomb Raider — I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw at E3 2011. There’s a ton of potential with this game and I’m cautiously hoping for another great Lara Croft adventure.

Of course there’s lots of stuff I’m leaving out. Loads of my friends and colleagues are psyched for Overstrike, Grand Theft Auto V, The Last of Us, Borderlands 2, Metal Gear Rising, and more. So how about it?!? What’s on you 2012 most-wanted games list?