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NPD 2010 Console Sales Figures (Flame On!)

NPD Group has released its December console sales figures, giving flame warriors some nice 2010 numbers to play with. I haven’t been able to track down the PSP year-end totals yet, but I’ll add them as soon as I do. Here are the total U.S. console sales in 2010 according to NPD Group:

Nintendo DS: 8.56 million
Nintendo Wii: 7.07 million
Xbox 360: 6.76 million
PlayStation 3: 4.33 million

While most of the numbers were lower than 2009, Microsoft had a tremendous year with the Xbox 360, selling more than 40 percent more units in 2010 than 2009. The new model combined with Kinect made the Xbox 360 a huge winner in America.

What do you guys and dolls make of the 2010 console wars (in America)?

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Did Your Zodiac Sign Change?

Millions of Facebook and Twitter users panicked over their zodiac signs changing. Depending on if you follow the tropical zodiac calendar or the sidereal zodiac calendar, you might have a new zodiac sign. Here’s the new calendar:

Capricorn: Jan. 20 – Feb. 16
Aquarius: Feb. 16 – March 11
Pisces: March 11- April 18
Aries: April 18 – May 13
Taurus: May 13 – June 21
Gemini: June 21 – July 20
Cancer: July 20 – Aug. 10
Leo: Aug. 10 – Sept. 16
Virgo: Sept. 16 – Oct. 30
Libra: Oct. 30 – Nov. 23
Scorpio: Nov. 23 – Nov. 29
Ophiuchus: Nov. 29 – Dec. 17
Sagittarius: Dec. 17 – Jan. 20

Personally, I don’t really give a crap about astrology. I was just amused by various Facebook status updates and the fact that this was a trending topic on Twitter yesterday. The funny part is that most Westerners follow the tropical zodiac calendar, so nothing has changed for most of the people that panicked and complained about the cosmic realignment.

Also, I managed to trick someone into thinking that Ophiuchus was a new sign that was invented by Chad Ochocinco. *snicker*

Just for fun, let’s follow the sidereal zodiac calendar. I’d love to know if your sign has changed under the revised zodiac calendar. If so, how do you feel about your new sign?

Coffee Talk #285: App Store Walled Garden a Plus or Minus?

Verizon’s huge iPhone 4 announcement has the tech world buzzing. One of the debates that has come up — again — is whether Apple’s “curated” approach to the Apple App Store is a strength or weakness.

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, Cafecito Organico’s Nicaragua Wiwili, the NY Yankees excellent Soriano signing, or Selma Blair becoming a MILF, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Apple has always been about offering great products that offer a superior experience. The company was never about having the most programs or getting the biggest installed base. Apple’s experiences with its past products can be seen in the “controlled” and excellent App Store. Even though I believe that the Android Market will eventually eclipse the App Store in terms of the sheer amount of apps, I also believe that the App Store will always be a better experience and lack the amount of crapware found in the Android Market. Google’s open approach will give it the numbers, but Apple’s curated approach will give it a superior user experience (it also doesn’t hurt that Google has never been great with UI). At the end of the day, would you rather have more choices or better choices?

Even though I’m an avid Android user, I can admit that the App Store will always have an edge over the Android Market (as well as the Windows Phone 7 and WebOS equivalents). I’m perfectly content with my Android apps for productivity and news, but iOS will always have better entertainment choices. This is especially true for games. I don’t want to get into the technical details of the matter, but Apple’s controlled approach actually works to its advantage in terms of games, while Google’s choices with Android have made things more difficult.

Like I said, I don’t really understand the debate from a consumer perspective. However, I’m willing to listen to other perspectives. That’s where you come in! Do you think Apple’s curated approach is a strength or weakness?

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

After downloading a couple of shiny Raikous at GameStop, I’ve caught the Pokemon bug again. I restarted Pokemon SoulSilver for a fresh start and I’m absolutely loving it (again). I haven’t opened my copy of DC Universe Online yet because I’m still not sure what kind of superhero I want to be. I’ll tackle that this weekend. It will be the historic start of the RPad.tv Super Buddies! Hopefully some of you get the itch to play so that we can save the world together…or just beat the crap out of scrubs and fetch things.

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

WrestleMania XXVII…in 3D?!?

Would you be into watching WrestleMania XXVII in 3D? You just might get the chance if The Wrestling Observer is right. According to the dirt sheet, the WWE is planning to make this year’s WrestleMania its first 3D broadcast.

I’m frightened by the prospect of sports entertainment in 3D. Don’t get me wrong — I’m all for seeing as many dimensions of the WWE Divas as possible (especially AJ Lee!). That said, too many wrestlers wear trunks. Seeing Sheamus’ milky thighs in HD is one thing. The thought of seeing them in three dimensions makes me shudder.

I know that most of you are anti-3D. Does WWE programming in 3D interest you or repulse you?

Source via CrunchGear

Final Fantasy XIII-2 Announcement Next Week?

A curious domain name registration and a Square Enix event in Tokyo point to a possible Final Fantasy XIII-2 announcement next week. The Unofficial Final Fantasy Site has done some sleuthing and discovered that the domain name “finalfantasy13-2game.com” has been registered by a company that has filed paperwork for other Square Enix titles.

Superannuation noted that the domain had been registered by “Corporation Service Company” — the same company that has registered domains for other Square Enix titles, including the official website for upcoming third person shooter MindJack, MindJackGame.com.

We’ve done a little extra investigation on top, and the same company has recently been used to register domains for Front Mission Evolved, Nier and Gun Loco, all major recent or upcoming Square Enix releases.

The last direct Final Fantasy sequel, Final Fantasy X-2, was an okay game that didn’t match up to its fantastic forerunner. If this FFXIII-2 rumor pans out, I’m hoping that Square Enix does a better job following up. Hell, with critics polarized by Final Fantasy XIII, there’s a chance that it could score better than the original.

Personally, I’m totally down with more FFXIII graphics and gameplay. A sequel would totally win me over if it featured more Reona Rewis songs and centered on Sazh’s adventures as a single parent. And you? Would you be down with FFXIII-2? What would you want the game to be?

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TechCrunch vs. Engadget: When Super Nerds Attack!!!

I’m absolutely loving the nerd war between TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington and Engadget’s Joshua Topolsky. These are two high-profile nerds with senior positions at two high-profile tech-blogs (that are both owned by AOL). Here’s some background from Business Insider for those of you not familiar with the matter.

On Tuesday evening, for no apparent reason, Arrington threw public punches at AOL’s crown-jewel technology blog, Engadget, and Engadget’s editor, Joshua Topolsky.

Specifically, Arrington called Engadget “a plasticized caricature of a real blog” and blasted it for buying traffic through Google Adwords (which Engadget actually hadn’t even done).

Then, today in a tweet, Arrington appeared to call AOL itself “pathetic.”

I love both sites (though I agree that Engadget isn’t what it used to be since Peter Rojas and Ryan Block left). While I completely understand why Arrington is so polarizing, I think it’s great that the tech world has his loud, outspoken, and unique voice. I’m definitely a fan.

Hopefully this skirmish escalates. It’s highly entertaining. I should buy some microwave popcorn so that I can sit back and watch the fireworks. Hmmmm…. Perhaps I should start a copycat war (on a much smaller scale) and pick a fight with some two-bit hack from a crap web site.

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Rumor: PSP2 as Powerful as PS3, Q4 2011 Release

Following yesterday’s rumor that Sony will announce the PlayStation Portable 2 on January 27, MCV’s sources have told it that Sony’s next portable system will be as powerful as its current home system. The site also discussed release information. Here’s the nitty gritty:

Sony has told licensees the device ‘is as powerful as the PlayStation 3’.

The new PSP is expected to arrive within the Q4 period, perhaps as early as October, and includes a HD screen with twin-stick controls in the familiar ‘brick’ form factor.

The system’s power makes sense, though I’m sure it’s slightly exaggerated. Similar to how the PSP serves up graphics comparable to the PS2’s, I’m sure the PSP2 will serve up visuals that are comparable to what the PS3 offers. I’m also sure that the PSP2’s best graphics will be less impressive than the PS3’s best.

The Q4 2011 release date also makes sense. The holiday season is the most lucrative and Sony doesn’t want to give the Nintendo 3DS too much of a head start.

What do you think of the latest round of PSP2 rumors? Should I color you interested? If so, which of Crayola’s 133 colors should I use? Anyone else thinking something along the lines of, “Crap! Now I need money for two new portable systems this year.”?

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Coffee Talk #284: I Love Q1 Gaming!

Historically, the last three months of the gaming year are more exciting than the first three months. Yet in 2010, that was hardly the case. Q1 2010 gave me more memorable gaming moments than Q4 2010…and there’s a chance that 2011 will end up the same way.

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, LeBron James’ karma tweets, Ted Williams going from homelessness to media sensation to rehab, or whether American politics will use a tragedy to become more reasonable, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Let’s take a step back and look at some of Q1 2010’s best videogames: Dragon Age: Origins Awakening, Final Fantasy XIII, God of War III, Heavy Rain, Mass Effect 2, and Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver. That’s a ridiculously stacked lineup! For the kinds of games that I love, it was perfection.

While Q1 2011 doesn’t look quite as stacked as Q1 2010, I’m sure that Dragon Age 2, Pokemon Black/White, and the release of the Nintendo 3DS will give me some of the best gaming moments of the year. I’m totally down with a graphically enhanced (and downloadable!) version of Mass Effect 2 for PS3 as well. Deus Ex: Human Revolution, DC Universe Online, LittleBigPlanet 2, Bulletstorm, and Killzone 3 have great potential too. I’m sure there are Q1 2011 games that I’m not interested in that fall right into your wheelhouse.

Personally, I love a front-loaded year of gaming. The end of the year is such a hectic time in the videogame business that it’s hard to find the time to enjoy games (especially for an RPG lover like me). What do you think of the trend of publishers targeting big releases for the first three months of the year? Will Q1 2011 be more fun than Q1 2010 for you?

PSP 2 Being Announced on January 27, 2011?

According to MCV, Sony will announce the PlayStation Portable 2 at a press event in Tokyo, Japan on January 27, 2011. While Sony has taken some bumps and bruises with the PSP, the company has sold millions of units. It’s not the craze that the Nintendo DS was, but it was certainly a successful system (particularly for a debut).

With the Nintendo 3DS on the way and Apple drastically changing the mobile gaming market, what does Sony have up its sleeve with the PSP2? What features do you want the PSP2 to have (aside from dual analog sticks)? Do you think Sony’s game plan will be different this time around in light of the booming iOS gaming market?

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