Category: Today’s Specials

Coffee Talk #279: Sold to Retail = Blowing Smoke

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer impressed the crowd during his CES 2011 keynote when he revealed that the company has sold eight-million units of Kinect for Xbox 360. The only problem is that’s not how many units were actually sold.

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, whether Steve Ballmer is ruining Microsoft, John Morrison upping his game’s physicality, or your favorite Entourage character, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer impressed the crowd during his CES 2011 keynote when he revealed that the company has sold eight-million units of Kinect for Xbox 360. The only problem is that’s not how many units were actually sold. Ballmer cited the “sold to retail” number — a term that’s being used more frequently by PR flaks and marketers.

It’s quite clever, though certainly disingenuous. More people know the difference between shipped and sold than ever before. More PR people are using “sold to retail” instead of “shipped” in their press releases. Internet reporters and bloggers are doing less fact checking (and less thinking, for that matter) in their race to get stories up as soon as possible. PR people know this and cleverly mask actual sales figures with sold-to-retail numbers.

Marketers and flaks are playing the press. Sure, some writers will verify whether touted numbers are shipped or sold, but it’s almost always too late. Hundreds of articles with inaccurate claims will have been posted by the time a verification email is received. Millions of readers will have been misinformed by the time a diligent journalist receives confirmation via phone.

I’ve covered games for a long time and have seen PR people manipulate journalists time and time again. The sold-to-retail gimmick is one of the smartest tactics I’ve seen in a long time. As a reader, do you trust the numbers issued by console manufacturers and game publishers? Do you suspect that most bloggers don’t bother to verify figures? Do you think PR people punk the press more often than not? Leave a comment and let me know (please)!

Coffee Talk #278: What Do You Look For in a Gaming HDTV?

With CES 2011 kicking off, I’m psyched to learn about all the new HDTVs from Samsung, Sony, Sharp, Toshiba, Vizio, etc. The show also has me thinking about your gaming HDTVs.

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, Montel Williams being busted for drug paraphernalia, the latest MLB hall of fame inductees, or America’s 4G wars, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

With CES 2011 kicking off, I’m psyched to learn about all the new HDTVs from Samsung, Sony, Sharp, Toshiba, Vizio, etc. The show also has me thinking about your gaming HDTVs. Don’t worry, I’m not planning to rob you or anything. I was just wondering what factors go into your HDTV purchasing decisions. After all, powerful consoles like the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 can’t be fully exploited without great televisions to play them on, right?

Is price or picture quality more important to you? Do you prefer LCD with LED backlighting, plasma, or DLP? Do you care about integrated Internet features? Do you rely on a separate sound setup or do you need a television with good speakers? What about refresh rate? Do you care if your TV is capable of 120Hz, 240Hz, or 600Hz?

Let me know what you look for in a gaming HDTV and what model you currently have. If you have a rich uncle, I could use a Samsung PN58C8000. Ha!

Vizio to Integrate OnLive in Future TVs, Tablets, and Phones

Following up yesterday’s announcement that it will offer Google Android phones and tablets, Vizio announced that it will embed the OnLive gaming service in its upcoming televisions, tablets, mobile phones, and Blu-ray players. Here’s a snippet from the press release and some quick analysis:

Following up yesterday’s announcement that it will offer Google Android phones and tablets, Vizio announced that it will embed the OnLive gaming service in its upcoming televisions, tablets, mobile phones, and Blu-ray players. Here’s a snippet from the press release and some quick analysis:

The partnership will incorporate the OnLive cloud gaming experience across the next generation of Vizio Internet Apps consumer electronics devices that share a unified, sophisticated and intuitive user interface for seamless access to high-end, interactive content.

With the integration of OnLive across the VIA Plus ecosystem of compatible Vizio devices, consumers can access the OnLive cloud gaming service directly through any VIA Plus HDTV, Tablet, Smart Phone or Blu-ray Player for instant gaming on any VIA Plus device — even seamlessly continuing gameplay from one device to the next — without the need for a game console.

Integrating OnLive in HDTVs and Blu-ray players is a sharp, sharp move that will appeal to casual gamers. Consumers that buy those products will have access to a sizable library of games without having to buy a console. Well played Vizio.

OnLive’s success on Vizio VIA phones and tablets will depend on the controls. OnLive claims that a large portion of the games will be retrofitted for touch controls. In my head, I see that being a rough and awkward experience, but that’s pure conjecture on my part. Of course this opens up the market for third-party controllers that will make OnLive on Android a more traditional videogame experience.

What do you think of OnLive and Vizio getting jiggy? Does an HDTV with integrated OnLive appeal to you? Do you think adding touch controls to old games that weren’t meant for them will work? Out of curiosity, do any of you own standalone Blu-ray players?

Coffee Talk #277: Understanding Japan’s Monster Hunter Craze

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, David Arquette entering rehab because he’s sad (and rich), Windows Phone 7’s marketplace being hacked, or Reona Rewis vs. Christina Aguilera vs. Scarlett Johansson, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

For years I’ve struggled to understand Japan’s Monster Hunter craze. The series’ popularity and sales are one thing, but it always mystified me that dozens — even hundreds! — of Japanese gamers would get together in large rooms to play Monster Hunter together. It’s more than just the Japanese preference of seeing other gamers during multiplayer sessions. It’s a phenomenon. Thankfully, my friend Shane explained it to me last week.

The topic randomly came up over lunch and Shane told me that it has to do with Japan’s cultural concept of senpai and kohai. After a quick search on my T-Mobile G2, I confirmed that they weren’t Dragon Ball Z characters that I forgot about. In round-eye terms, the relationship between senpai and kohai is akin to the relationship between mentor and protege, older student and younger student, veteran athlete and rookie athlete, Bill Clinton and Tony Blair, or Nightwing and Red Robin. Here’s a quote from the WikiPedia:

More than simple seniority, senpai implies a relationship with reciprocal obligations, somewhat similar to a mentoring relationship. A kohai is expected to respect and obey their senpai, and the senpai in turn must guide, protect, and teach their kohai as best they can.

In Monster Hunter terms, the senpai guides the kohai around and helps them level up. Experienced players are expected to guide and protect. Newcomers have to do some menial grunt work. Both find their roles satisfying. The novices are also expected to field strip their mentor’s PSPs, restoring them to factory condition (okay, I made this part up). It’s similar to the closeness of guilds in World of Warcraft, but it goes beyond social enjoyment. From what I gathered from Shane, there’s a distinct cultural satisfaction in the senpai/kohai relationship.

In the (sometimes wonderfully) self-absorbed West, most players like to go at it alone or conquer all others. Individual accomplishments in games are more gratifying than shared accomplishments. American gamers love going for glory on their own, saving the day by themselves, or beating all of their friends online. (I blame the Rambo movies.) The complex subtleties of the senpai/kohai relationship aren’t as common. Instead it’s more like master and servant, boss and employee, or Kobe Bryant and Luke Walton.

So yeah! I’m jazzed that Shane dropped some knowledge on me and explained one of the most puzzling videogame phenomenons I’ve ever encountered. It makes much more sense to me now. How about you? Do you “get” Monster Hunter in Japan? Or is it still a mystery to you?

Coffee Talk #276: Your 2011 Gaming Resolutions

Earlier in the year a bunch of you made 2010 gaming resolutions. Did you follow through? How about for 2011? Will you join me in making a gaming resolution?

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, your holiday travel nightmares, why 49F feels like a sub-zero temperature in Los Angeles, or your new year’s eve party plans, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Earlier in the year a bunch of you made 2010 gaming resolutions. Did you follow through? How about for 2011? Will you join me in making a gaming resolution? I plan on giving casual games more time in 2011. It’ll be tough because I love traditional console games, but mobile and social gaming are becoming huge parts of the gaming market. It’s an important space to follow and with any luck playing more mobile/social games will help me make actually money in 2011 (a novel idea).

Heck, I’m going to get started now! I’ve just installed Lord of Ultima for Chrome OS. I’ll play some in my Chrome browser and my Google Chrome Cr-48.

How about you? Any 2011 gaming resolutions you’d like to share?

Coffee Talk #275: CES Developments and You

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is right around the corner and all sorts of exciting (tech nerd) developments are about to be unveiled. What are you looking forward to at CES 2011?

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, Brett Favre’s slap on the wrist, the best cut of steak (it’s rib eye), or random closing thoughts on 2010, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is right around the corner and all sorts of exciting (tech nerd) developments are about to be unveiled. What are you looking forward to at CES 2011? Televisions are a huge part of the show, with 3DTV and advanced LED implementation leading the way. Android phones should be a major slice of the CES pie, with Verizon set to announce an LTE Android phone from HTC. Video chat through phones and televisions should cause a stir. There will be several Windows ultra-portable laptops on display from numerous manufacturers looking to duplicate the success of the MacBook Air. Tablet computers will be tremendous too, with several vendors serving up Apple iPad alternatives.

What are you looking forward to the most? Kindly take today’s poll and discuss in the comments section (please!).

[poll id=”92″]

2010 Videogames: The Year in Review

In case you missed any of these excellent videos starring 1Up.com’s Sam Kennedy, Gamasutra’s Christian Nutt, and GameFly Media’s (Shacknews) Garnett Lee, here they are! Let’s start with their favorite games of 2010. Find out why these three excellent writers felt that Bayonetta, Need for Speed Hot Pursuit, and Red Dead Redemption were the cream of the crop.

Next, find out why Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy XIV, and Gran Turismo 5 were the most disappointing games of the year to Christian, Sam, and Garnett.

Discovering sleeper hits is always a fantastic thing. There are games we all love that don’t get the attention they deserve. In the following segment, my dynamic guests tell you why Split Second, Ys: The Oath in Felghana, and Bayonetta should have your attention.

Last, but certainly not least, is the biggest gaming news in 2010. In a truly fascinating year for the business that kicked off tons of change, Garnett, Sam, and Christian reveal what news they thought had the biggest impact.

If you have any closing thoughts on videogames in 2010, speak now or forever hold your peace!

Coffee Talk #274: Your 2010 Gaming Backlog

2010 was a great year for gaming, so I’m sure that most of you have 2010 games that you haven’t gotten around to playing. What’s in your 2010 backlog? As for me…

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, Rupert Everett vs. Jennifer Aniston, the impact on Andy Pettitte’s probably retirement, or your favorite jelly/jam (the right answer is peach), Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

2010 was a great year for gaming, so I’m sure that most of you have 2010 games that you haven’t gotten around to playing. What’s in your 2010 backlog? As for me, they’re mostly Wii games. I need to play more Kirby’s Epic Yarn and Epic Mickey. These games dazzled me at E3 2010, but I’ve been so busy with other things that they haven’t gottent the attention that they deserve.

How about you? What 2010 games are in your backlog?

Coffee Talk #273: Your Favorite Holiday Gifts

I hope everyone had an excellent holiday. I’m still fighting off a Christmas cold, but I was thrilled to spend time with my family. Now let’s share stories of our holiday loot!

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 pain of returning gifts, Kelly Osbourne fighting with her ex on Twitter, or airport delays, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

I hope everyone had an excellent holiday. I’m still fighting off a Christmas cold, but I was thrilled to spend time with my family. Now let’s share stories of our holiday loot! What was the best gaming gift you received this year? How about non-gaming?

As for me, I didn’t get any gaming gifts. My brother picked me up some Rusty’s coffee (he lives in Hawaii), which is something I’ve wanted to try for years. It has been excellent so far, but it’s a darker roast than I’m used to. You know I geek out with my coffee, so you can imagine my excitement over brewing coffee from a fine Hawaiian roaster.

Now it’s your turn! I’m psyched to see what Santa and/or Hanukkah Harry got you this year!!!

Coffee Talk #272: Your Favorite Movies of 2010

2010 was full of fantastic movies. Let’s talk about our personal favorites! I’ll kick it off by giving you my top three movies of 2010. None of them should surprise you…though the order might.

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, some republicans accusing the NBA of being anti-Christmas, Scarlett Johansson getting divorce papers for Christmas, or your holiday shopping nightmares, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

2010 was full of fantastic movies. Let’s talk about our personal favorites! I’ll kick it off by giving you my top three movies of 2010. None of them should surprise you…though the order might.

3) Iron Man 2 — My future wife, Scarlett Johansson, was so hot in this movie, but I enjoyed IM2 for way more than her. The action was fantastic, it was great that Iron Man and Tony Stark had separate villains, and I really enjoyed the setup for future Marvel movies (Captain America, Thor, The Avengers). I had some problems with movie, as seen in my lengthy not-a-review here, but I mostly loved it — especially Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark. That’s just perfect casting.

2) The Social Network — On paper, this movie had to be awesome; it’s hard to argue with the team-up of David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin. That said, I had a hard time envisioning how a Facebook movie could be entertaining and intriguing. The Social Network was all that and more. The movie absolutely obliterated my expectations. The snappy writing, deft delivery, and wonderful score added up to one of my favorite dramas ever. Sure, it doesn’t convey the sheer amount of work hours that went into making Facebook and a great deal of it was Sorkin fiction, but the creative liberties are a huge reason why The Social Network succeeds as a film.

1) Get Him to the Greek — Most of you know about my man-crush on Russell Brand. I’m convinced that he’s on the verge of immortal greatness. Get Him to the Greek wasn’t it, but it shows glimpses of why he might get there. The movie is a well-paced romp with some hilarious moments courtesy of Jonah Hill, Sean “P.Diddy” Combs, and Colm Meaney. The “Furry Walls” scene is one of the most hilariously ridiculous things I’ve ever seen in my life. All that aside, the way Brand delivered some of his lines totally killed me. He’ll take something that’s mildly amusing on paper and turn it into a laugh-out-loud moment in real life (LOL IRL?). I’ve watched this movie a ton and subjected several friends to viewings. All of them loved it. If you haven’t seen it, I truly hope you give it a chance.

Honorable Mentions — There were a bunch of comic-book movies I loved in 2010 too. Batman: Under the Red Hood impressed me so much that I wrote a Coffee Talk about it. While some of changes and omissions made it way different from the comic book, I enjoyed Scott Pilgrim vs. the World on its own. Kick-Ass was a more faithful adaptation, though Hit Girl was the real star of the movie. There was something sickly entertaining about watching a 10-year old girl viciously slaughter dozens of people.

Now it’s your turn! What were some of your favorite movies of 2010? Make a list, check it twice, and explain your choices (please)!