Coffee Talk #110: Has a Game Ever Made You Late for School/Work?

I played Dragon Age: Origins Awakening until 5:30AM this morning. Part of it was because I intend to write two stories about the game this weekend. Part of it was because this bug pissed me off and I lost 90 minutes of game time (I wasn’t saving religiously *smacks head*). Most of it was because I was enjoying the hell out of this expansion pack.

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 favorite news from SXSW, Matt Sydal (Evan Bourne) turning 27 today, or your baseball team’s spring training results, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

I played Dragon Age: Origins Awakening until 5:30AM this morning. Part of it was because I intend to write two stories about the game this weekend. Part of it was because this bug pissed me off and I lost 90 minutes of game time (I wasn’t saving religiously *smacks head*). Most of it was because I was enjoying the hell out of this expansion pack.

Due to my ridiculous play session, I was a little late for secret project and today’s Coffee Talk is more about your lunchtime beverage than your morning one. Still, I don’t regret it. Secret project is on my own schedule, so it’ll just be tighter to meet my goals for today. I am sorry that today’s column is late, but that’s really BioWare’s fault. Ha!

Has a game ever made you late for work or school? Share your stories in the comments section (please)!

USB Storage Support Coming to Xbox 360 in 2010

It looks like the Xbox 360 will be getting USB mass storage support in Spring 2010. That’s the story from Joystiq, which obtained some nifty documentation and screenshots that show the console supporting USB storage. Here are some additional details:

According to the document, the USB mass storage device must be at least 1GB and the system will do a compatibility check. “The system partition occupies 512 MB of space, and by default the consumer partition occupies the remainder of the device capacity, or 16 GB, whichever is smaller.” Upon inserting a blank USB storage device, “consumers are offered two choices: ‘Configure now’ or ‘Customize’.” The “Configure now” option will use “the entire device capacity, up to the maximum of 512 MB plus 16 GB” meaning, regardless of the overall size of the device you’re using, the Xbox will only enable 16 GB of usable, non-system storage.

It’s great that the Xbox 360 will be supporting standard storage, but it kind of sucks that it’s limited to 16GB. It would have been nice if gamers could buy a standard USB hard drive instead of the proprietary and overpriced units sold by Microsoft. Looking on the bright side of life (always do this), at least overpriced memory units will soon be obsolete, hey?

What do you think of the upcoming USB storage support? Will it be useful? Or is 16GB of storage not enough?

Source

Coffee Talk #109: What Game Companies Do You Miss?

Are there any videogame companies that you miss? There are several ways to answer that question. When I asked myself this question yesterday (yes, I sometimes talk to myself), I thought of two companies — one that’s still around and one that’s been gone for years.

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, why the hell Tim Urban is still on American Idol, March Madness, or the Google Nexus One on all four major American mobile carriers, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Are there any videogame companies that you miss? When I asked myself this question yesterday (yes, I sometimes talk to myself), I thought of two companies — one that’s still around and one that’s been gone for years: Sega and Working Designs.

I miss what Sega used to be. The company rocked me with early Sonic games, Toejam & Earl, and so many others. I loved the end of the Saturn era with Burning Rangers, Panzer Dragoon Saga, and Shining Force III. The company was cutting-edge cool during the Dreamcast years with Jet Set Radio, Samba De Amigo, Seaman, Space Channel 5, and more. Sega was a creative powerhouse and these days it’s…a serviceable publisher.

As for defunct companies, I miss Working Designs. The company brought so many cool Japanese role-playing games to America. I loved that I got to play titles like Arc the Lad, Alundra, Dragon Force, and Lunar thanks to Working Designs. The company also served up the best “collector’s editions” in the world back in the day. The packaging and goodies were top-notch. They really made you feel like you were buying something special.

I better stop before I get all misty…. How about you guys and dolls? What are some of the game companies you miss?

Sprint Announces Google Nexus One Coming…Soon

Sprint has announced that it will be offering the Google Nexus One phone, featuring Android 2.1, some time in the future. The company said that it will announce the exact release date “soon” and that pricing has yet to be determined. In today’s press release, Sprint vice president of product development Fared Adib said:

While a pricing plan has not yet been determined for Nexus One, we are confident that it will be consistent with Sprint’s commitment to deliver more value than our competitors and keep pricing simple.

The Nexus One was originally available for T-Mobile, with a Verizon version of the phone promised at a future date. Yesterday I wrote about the phone being available for AT&T. With Sprint’s announcement, Google’s Android 2.1 champion product will be available for all four major carriers in the United States.

Any Sprint customers in the house tempted by the Nexus One?

Xbox 360 “Slim” On the Way?

Here’s a hot rumor for you…or perhaps I should say a cool and small rumor — it looks like the Xbox 360 is getting the “slim” treatment. A9VG has posted a photo of what appears to be a newly designed Xbox 360 board that uses new chips and an updated design. Here’s what Kotaku had to say about the board:

The pic above shows the board in question, with the chip part of a rumoured redesign for the Xbox 360 console, testing of which has recently been completed in China. This isn’t simply a new board for the existing hardware, either; it’s reportedly a total redesign of the console. Think the PS3 Slim, only…for an Xbox 360.

My Xbox 360 Elite has been going strong for a little over a year after being replaced once. However, I’m always interested in newer models that use less power and up the reliability. It’s easy to sell a console for a good price on eBay, so making a switch isn’t a big deal to me.

How about you ladies and gents? Would you be interested in a slimmed down Xbox 360?

Source via Kotaku

Razer Releases Leftie Death Adder Gaming Mouse

Left-handed gamers looking for a competitive edge will want to check out Razer’s DeathAdder Left Hand Edition. It offers the high-tech precision Razer is known for and couples it with an ergonomic design that lefties will enjoy. Here’s what Razer USA president Robert “Razerguy” Krakoff had to say about the new product:

Leftie gamers have long been requesting that we develop a gaming grade mouse that is designed exclusively for the left-handed gaming community and we really value the feedback we receive from our fans. Not many gamers know this, but I am a southpaw myself and feel truly excited to have a mouse that fits perfectly in my left hand. There is really no substitute for gaming with your naturally dominant hand.

It’s nice to see that Krakoff is a leftie, like President Obama, President Clinton, and me! Although I do most things leftie (get your mind out of the gutter!), I actually use a mouse with my right hand. This is a bit disappointing since I’ve always wanted to pull an Inigo Montoya, break even at the start of a competitive match, and say, “I know something you do not know. I am not right handed!”

Are any of you guys and gals leftie? If so, are you interested in the DeathAdder Left Hand Edition?

Coffee Talk #108: Your Favorite Videogame Cliches

Today’s Coffee Talk is a suggestion from RPadholic N8R. What’s your favorite videogame cliche? To stick with N8R’s examples, are you a fan of doors that lead to nowhere? Do you love how waterfalls are used to hide important objects?

As for me, I’m a huge fan of barrels, boxes, and crates in role-playing games. Who puts treasure in barrels? Why do adventurers think it’s okay to break and plunder every crate they come across? It’s not like I’ve ever read townspeople in an R.A. Salvatore book say, “Oh crap. It’s that Drizz’t guy again. Better hide the crates before he and Bruenor wreck everything!” Yet for some reason, it’s totally acceptable in games.

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, Siobhan Magnus slaying it on American Idol, Bryan Danielson’s losing streak on NXT, or Jeff Hardy’s latest day in court, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Today’s Coffee Talk is a suggestion from RPadholic N8R. What’s your favorite videogame cliche? To stick with N8R’s examples, are you a fan of doors that lead to nowhere? Do you love how waterfalls are used to hide important objects?

As for me, I’m a huge fan of barrels, boxes, and crates in role-playing games. Who puts treasure in barrels? Why do adventurers think it’s okay to break and plunder every crate they come across? It’s not like I’ve ever read townspeople in an R.A. Salvatore book say, “Oh crap. It’s that Drizz’t guy again. Better hide the crates before he and Bruenor wreck everything!” Yet for some reason, it’s totally acceptable in games.

[Tangent: Computers are a modern-day equivalent of crates. My friend and I love playing as Wolverine in X-Men Legends and Marvel Ultimate Alliance, just so we can shred every computer we come across. In our heads, Logan is frustrated that he never learned how to “work a computer” and goes into a berserker rage every time he sees a PC. This is a lot funnier is you’re actually playing the game with me.]

So tell your fellow readers and me about your favorite videogame cliches! This should be a fun one. I can’t wait to read your comments!

Today’s Poll: Motion Controls vs. 3D Gaming

Today’s poll is designed to help you get all your hate out. For various reasons, many enthusiast gamers are down on the burgeoning trends of motion controls and 3D gaming. As a writer, they’re interesting topics to cover and new subjects to explore. I’m bummed that a lot of “hardcore” gamers aren’t digging them (yet). Which one do you dislike more? Put down the Haterade, take the poll, and explain your choice in the comments section if you have time.

[poll id=”31″]

Google Nexus One Now Available in AT&T 3G Flavor

The Google Nexus One is now available with 3G support for AT&T in America and Rogers in Canada. This opens up Google’s Android 2.1 champion to millions of customers in North America. With a CDMA version passed by the FCC and rumored to be heading to Verizon as early as next week, the Nexus One will finally be in a position to do some damage (real marketing would help too!).

I know that some of you are on AT&T and a few of you are anti-iPhone. Are you interested in the latest version of the Nexus One?

Coffee Talk #107: Stereoscopic 3D Gaming Revisited

Despite what some outlets have reported, I didn’t spend my “entire” time at GDC 2010 snooping for Nintendo information. One of the coolest things I saw at the show was stereoscopic 3D gaming on the PlayStation 3. This was a big deal at CES 2010, but I didn’t attend that show so I couldn’t experience it for myself. After seeing a few PlayStation 3 games in 3D, I must say that the tech is really cool and adds a new kind of fun.

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, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin on Monday Night Raw, Tiger Woods returning to golf at The Masters, or Agassi vs. Sampras, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Despite what some outlets have reported, I didn’t spend my “entire” time at GDC 2010 snooping for Nintendo information. One of the coolest things I saw at the show was stereoscopic 3D gaming on the PlayStation 3. This was a big deal at CES 2010, but I didn’t attend that show so I couldn’t experience it for myself. After seeing a few PlayStation 3 games in 3D, I must say that the tech is really cool and adds a new kind of fun.

That said, I still have a lot of concerns about stereoscopic 3D gaming. RPadholic Smartguy pointed out that gamers that wear glasses might find it uncomfortable. I’m concerned about the additional weight on my head and a different type of eye strain limiting my playing sessions. It was totally fine for a few minutes MLB: The Show, but will I be able to pull off FFXIII or Dragon Age sessions with the 3D glasses?

Sony is going full-on with its stereoscopic 3D blitz (interesting story about that…later), but I wanted to see how you felt about this trend. Are you down with 3D gaming? Do you think 3D is the real deal? Or is it a fad that will get buried in a few years?