Digital Vita Games Will Be Cheaper Than Physical Ones

Many of you were calling for digital PlayStation Vita games to be priced lower than their cartridge counterparts. Your calls have been answered! That’s how it works in Japan and that’s how it should work here, right? Although precise price differences weren’t announced, Sony has confirmed that digital buyers will save money by going digital. Here’s a quote from a “Sony representative” snagged by Shacknews:

I can confirm that there will be a discount on the downloadable PS Vita titles from PSN. Exact details have not yet been revealed, but be on the lookout for an announcement in the very near future.

Like many of you have said in the past, it makes sense for digital downloads to be cheaper than cartridges. The costs of physical media, shipping, retail space, etc. are eliminated by going digital and consumers should be able to enjoy the savings. That said, I wonder if Sony’s retail partners are pissed about this and if their pissed-off-edness will limit the digital discount.

Any guess as to how much cheaper digital Vita games will be?

Source

Bastion on Sale for $7.50 This Week

Supergiant Games’ Bastion is on sale this week for 600 Microsoft Points ($7.50) on Xbox Live. This excellent game is fun action-RPG with a unique narrator, a sweet soundtrack, and great gameplay. It was one of my favorite games of 2011 and I hope you guys give it a shot. If you happen to pick it up, please let me know what you think of Bastion in the comments section.

Source

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!).

This Week’s Videogame Releases

After the expected new-year lull, a trio of interesting games will be released this week. Final Fantasy XIII-2 hopes to address some of the shortcomings of its predecessor. It also adds a Pokemon-like feature, a cute Moogle, and an odd Assassin’s Creed crossover. I’m really looking forward to this one, despite the lack of Reona Rewis. Speaking of Assassin’s Creed crossovers, Soul Calibur V adds Ezio Auditore da Firenze to its list of sword-swinging combatants. Last, but not least, is NeverDead. This trippy action game from Konami features an immortal hero with detachable body parts.

Any of you picking up new games this week?

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.

Today’s Poll: Evil Adam Sessler From an Alternate Universe

Last night my friend Paul notified me that X-Play’s Adam Sessler recently shaved his head and started growing his facial hair. Two things immediately popped into my head. First, I remembered a moment in early 2011 when RPadholic N8R told me how awesome Adam would look with a shaved head. I also thought about the possibility of Adam being replaced by Evil Adam Sessler From an Alternate Universe. Whatever the case may be, I’d love to hear your opinion on Adam’s new look. Clearly he looks awesome. The question is, how awesome?!?

[poll id=”144″]

The Witcher 2 Xbox 360 Screens and Launch Date

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and CD Projekt RED have announced that The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings will launch on April 17, 2012 for the Xbox 360. RPadholic smartguy thinks highly of the PC version and has often said that it’s one of the best RPGs in years. It will be interesting to see how the game translates to consoles. Being an RPG fan and valuing smartguy’s opinion, I’m definitely keeping an eye on this one.

Any of you psyched for The Witcher 2 on Xbox 360?

[nggallery id=88]

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?

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath HD is still on my playlist. Hopefully I’ll be able to finish a large chunk of the game this weekend. I recently picked up The Bard’s Tale for iPad, as it was on sale for $2.99. I enjoyed the game on consoles and am really looking forward to seeing how it plays on the iPad 2. The game is totally in my wheelhouse — it’s an action-RPG with some of the funniest writing I’ve ever enjoyed.

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

Blue Microphones Mikey Digital and Spark Digital (iOS)

Here are a pair of videos featuring Blue Microphones chief technology office Brian Biggott talking about two of the company’s upcoming iOS-compatible mics: the Spark Digital and the Mikey Digital. I’m a pretty big mark for Blue Mics; I currently use the company’s Yeti and enCORE 100. With that in mind, I was excited to see these two products at CES 2012. Now onto the vids!