Can Sony’s “Only on PSN” Program Tackle the iOS App Store?

Sony recently announced an aggressive new program called “Only on PSN” that serves up downloadable games that are exclusive to the PlayStation online service. A lot of the games in the initial lineup are creative titles made by independent developers. With its focus on small games, creativity, and indie devs, “Only on PSN” will be competing hot and heavy with Apple’s iOS App Store.

IndustryGamers also believes that these two services are competing and asked Sony Computer Entertainment America senior director Susan Panico about taking on Apple. Here’s some of what she had to say.

On that platform [iOS] it is survival of the fittest and you really only get great success if you break into that top 20, but on our platform because it is managed and we do want to ensure we’re giving visibility to our community and marketing support behind this content, it’s a really great way for developers to not only have to invest little up front but they’re also getting the marketing machine of a large organization like PlayStation.

I agree with Panico to a point. Sony can definitely do a better job than Apple when it comes to adding community elements and catering content for its audience, which is more specific than Apple’s. Those are complexities and nuances that Sony can certainly leverage, but first it has to overcome a much more basic issue with PSN — the user experience.

The App Store’s user experience is flat-out better than PSN’s. Part of it is simply because of how you interface with each service; it’s much easier to navigate menus using your finger than it is with a d-pad and several buttons. Part of it is due to design; PSN is awfully stylish, but it’s not nearly as friendly or functional as the App Store. Before Sony worries about community engagement and casting Kevin Butler in side-splitting “Only on PSN” commercials, it needs to improve PSN’s user experience.

As for attracting independent developers for sweet exclusives, Panico said:

We have dedicated resources within our organization to go after indie developers and to work with these teams where we see great talent, and then of course we like to make sure people know we have an open platform and an open door, so they’ll want to come to us and bring their content.

Sony can definitely do a better job than Apple when it comes to reaching out to indie devs. I know people at both companies that are tasked with developer outreach and relations. Objectively, Sony has more people interacting with independent developers. Subjectively, Sony has better better people reaching out to game developers.

While a PSN vs. iOS App Store fight sounds ridiculous and lopsided in favor of Apple, there are several areas where Sony can win. Will it? I’m not sure about that. The allure of having a best-seller on iOS is tough to compete with. Will developers gamble and go for broke with Apple? Or will they prefer to go with Sony, which will (arguably) treat them better and do a superior job at helping them reach gamers?

What do you think of the “Only on PSN” initiative? Will Sony be able to attract the top indie developers? Will it be able to steal some talent away from Apple’s iOS walled garden?

Source

Coffee Talk #405: Most Recognizable Videogame Sound Ever?

Today’s Coffee Talk is brought to you by RPadholic N8R. During a Google+ messenger chat he asked, “What is the most recognizable videogame sound ever?” What a fantastic question! Gameplay, graphics, music, and story are…

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 Yankees’ fate resting in the mentally deficient brain of AJ Burnett, Hank Williams, Jr. comparing President Obama to Adolf Hitler, or the awesome nerd buzz before Apple press conference, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Today’s Coffee Talk is brought to you by RPadholic N8R. During a Google+ messenger chat he asked, “What is the most recognizable videogame sound ever?” What a fantastic question! Gameplay, graphics, music, and story are definitely a huge part of games, but its often short sound effects that stay with us forever. Decades after I first heard them, sound effects from Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda are still stuck in my head.

If I mention the sound of Mario getting a coin or getting a power-up or getting an extra life, I’m positive that the vast majority of you know what I’m talking about. The same goes for Zelda sounds. I’m certain that most of you know the sound of Link getting a new item or unlocking a secret. At Nintendo’s E3 2011 presser, the audience totally marked out when the orchestra played Zelda sounds. Hell, the liberal use of Zelda sounds is part of why Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is so charming.

So what say you? Answer N8R’s question and name the most recognizable videogame sounds ever (please)!

What Are Your iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S Predictions?!?

Tomorrow is Apple’s big presser for the next iPhone! Rumors include the company announcing a new iPhone 5 and a cheaper iPhone 4S, the iPhone being available on Sprint in addition to AT&T and Verizon, and Apple finally releasing a phone with a screen larger than 3.5-inches. The image used for the invite hints that voice control, powered by Apple’s purchase of Nuance, will be a big part of the press conference.

What do you think will happen? What are you hoping for? Will there be unicorns, rainbows, and sorcery?!? Please leave your predictions, thoughts, and wishes on the iPhone 5 presser in the comments section!

Rage Launch Party Pictures

Here are a bunch of random pictures from id Software’s launch party for Rage. (You know, that thing I was at when I sent you those drunk messages on Google+) It was a pretty big blowout and way better than most LA videogame parties. Of course there were lots of celebs around. Charlize Theron was the official host of the party. I recall seeing Seth Green, Jaime Pressly, Danny Masterson, Topher Grace, and Chris Pine. I was totally bummed that I missed Stacy Keibler. The Black Keys put on a sweet performance. It was cool briefly seeing my E3 buddy Sarah Carroll. My favorite part was bumping into id CEO Todd Hollenshead. He looked so happy and proud! I was thrilled for him.

Anyway, check out these picks. Highlights include some idiot climbing on top of the Rage kiosks and some woman vomiting into a trash can. Ha!

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Xbox 360 Fall 2011 Dashboard Update Video Leak

Here’s a leaked video of the Fall 2011 Xbox 360 dashboard update. It’s in French, so it’s more pretentious than usual. I kid, I kid. Seriously though, what’s interesting here is that the new interface is heavily inspired by the design elements found in Windows Phone 7 and Windows 8’s Metro UI. I love the idea of Microsoft unifying its UI elements across PCs, tablets, phones, and consoles. It just makes sense to offer a consistent experience across a wide variety of Microsoft products.

Check out the clip when you have a chance and let me know what you think (please!). Do you dig the idea of unified design elements across Microsoft-powered consoles, PCs, tablets, and phones?

This Week’s Videogame Releases

October kicks off with a slew of awesome videogames! If you’re looking for a supremely gorgeous post-apocalyptic shooter then you definitely want to pick up id Software’s Rage. There probably won’t be any NBA basketball played until next year, but that shouldn’t stop you from playing NBA 2K12. Spider-Man — both the current version and the 2099 version — are back for another wall-crawling adventure in Spider-Man: Edge of Time. Want something dark and brutally difficult? If so then Dark Souls, the successor to Demon’s Souls, is right up your alley. Finally, sometimes you just need to dance. If that’s the case then Just Dance 3 will do you good.

Any of you picking up new games this week?

Coffee Talk #404: Have You Ever Quit on a Console?

Last week I was intrigued by this comment left by RPadholic smartguy. He’s fed up with the quirks and annoyances of his PlayStation 3 and is on the verge of quitting it after Uncharted 3. It had me thinking about all the…

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, A-Rod getting the boo-bird treatment at Yankee Stadium, Stumptown’s Guatemala Antigua Buenavista, or how old you were when you started liking the taste of alcoholic beverages, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Last week I was intrigued by this comment left by RPadholic smartguy. He’s fed up with the quirks and annoyances of his PlayStation 3 and is on the verge of quitting it after Uncharted 3. It had me thinking about all the consoles I’ve owned in the past. I don’t recall any of them pissing me off to the point where I gave up on the system. How about you? Have you ever quit on a console? Or did you have issues, only to lovingly whisper, “I can’t quit you,” to your beloved gaming system?

Keep in mind that I’m in an unusual situation since the last few generations of consoles have either been free or work expenses for me. I love all of my gaming systems, but they’re all work machines — there’s no such thing as buyer’s remorse in my case. Even before that, I managed to put up with the completely ridiculous Sega Genesis Mega Stack of Doom. If a Voltron-like console couldn’t make me quit then I’m not sure what would.

So how about it? Has a console ever driven you to the point of disowning it? Have you ever quit on a console?

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

I think I’m going to give Bastion another go. I meant to give it a more thorough run on my personal Xbox Live Account and never got around to it. It’s such a fun and charming game. It’s also cool that someone I like, ex-GameSpot editor Greg Kasavin, worked on it. Yeah, that settles it. This weekend will be about replaying Bastion!

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

September 28, 2011: A Historic Day in Baseball History

Last night was, by far, the most exciting regular-season day in Major League Baseball history. One day later and I still can’t believe what I saw. Three games that determined the last slots in the playoffs ending within 25 minutes of each other. Two dramatic comebacks ending within three minutes of each other. One major collapse (Atlanta Braves) and one epic collapse (Boston Red Sox) culminating in minutes. It was dramatic (for everyone) and fun (depending on your teams), and I’m pretty sure that I’ll never see anything like that again.

One minute I was watching Jonathan Papelbon blow a save against the lowly Orioles. A couple of minutes later I was watching Evan Longoria hit a game-ending homer against the Yankees, clinching the Tampa Bay Rays’ spot in the playoffs and ensuring an entertaining off-season in Boston. It was nuts how quickly it all happened. I was chuckling at Papelbon’s failure and — BAM! — just like that Longoria’s home run had me thinking, “Whoa! Did that just really happen?!?” On one hand, I wasn’t done laughing at the Red Sox. On the other hand, I just witnessed one of the most extraordinary days in baseball history.

As a tech nerd, it was a blast marveling, gloating, and discussing everything that just happened through different social networking services. As I was laughing at the Red Sox’ demise, I whipped out my iPad 2, headed to Facebook, and left some annoying comments on my friend Matt’s wall. He’s from Boston. *snicker* Discussing the games on Twitter, Google+, and Facebook made the events even more fun. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I love what social networking has added to sports.

Anyway, I wanted to see what you thought of last night’s games. Were you watching them live? Did you watch the highlights today? What do you think of it all? Which team was the biggest loser? Which team was the biggest winner? Have Yankee fans ever been happier about a loss? Share your feelings (like a Care Bear) in the comments section (please!).

Today’s Poll: Are You Interested in the Amazon Kindle Fire?

Amazon recently announced the Kindle Fire, an Android-based tablet with a killer $199 price point, DC Comics graphic novel exclusivity, a unique server-assisted web browser called Silk, and more. The killer price should make it an attractive option to first-time tablet-buyers and those looking for a secondary tablet. Its heavy tie-ins with Amazon digital services give it an enormous advantage over competing Android, BlackBerry, and webOS tablets. I’m positive that this is going to be one of the killer products this holiday season.

Today I wanted to see if you guys and dolls were interested in the Kindle Fire. Kindly take today’s poll and let me know what you think about Amazon’s aggressively-priced foray into the tablet computing world.

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