Poll: What Was Your Favorite Super Bowl XLIV Tech Commercial?

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First off, congrats to the New Orleans Saints on winning Super Bowl 44! Now that we’ve been bombarded by 52 Budwesier commercials (that still won’t make it a good beer), let’s discuss your favorite tech commercials that aired during the game. I’m disqualifying all the GoDaddy.com spots because I’m tired of Danica Patrick. Dante’s Inferno was the only videogame commercial I recall (I could have missed some). The choices in this poll are Google, Vizio, Intel, and Motorola. Let’s check out the videos and get to the poll!

Google’s ad was the most romantic and a lot of people were raving about in the Twitterverse. I thought it was cute…but that’s about it.

My personal pick is this Vizio ad, simply because Tay Zonday rules. “Chocolate Rain” forever!!!

Motorola promoted its upcoming Devour phone (a mid-level Android phone coming to Verizon) and MotoBlur with Megan Fox (with her circus-freak thumbs) in a bath tub.

I thought Intel’s commercial was lame, but it made drool for a MacBook with an i5 or i7 processor.

Sunday Housekeeping

– The Super Bowl poll is pretty close. If you haven’t made your pick, get on it!

– There was a lot of cool video content last week. If you haven’t checked out the PadCasts with Ring of Honor world champion Austin Aries and Tarver games president/co-founder Chris Cross, please do. They’re both excellent people (in very different ways). As always, giant props to N8R for putting these together.

– On the gameplay front, don’t forget the Anders character reveal for Dragon Age: Origins Awakening and this super-cute clip from 3D Dot Game Heroes.

– Remember, since I’m not on a real ad network yet, my Blip.tv video posts are more lucrative than straight text posts. Your support would be immensely appreciated.

– Speaking of which, here’s my periodic nag about using my Amazon.com links. My friend recently bought a $500+ leather bag through Amazon and forgot to use one of my links. Ouch. If you can remember and are purchasing anything through Amazon, I’d super appreciate it if you entered Amazon through one of my links.

– Traffic has been steady since my last housekeeping post, but it’s not really growing. If you like a particular story or video, please share it with your friends via Facebook, Twitter, Digg, N4G, Gamekicker, etc. I’m enjoying the site and loving the interaction, but things have to keep heading up. Since I don’t have a marketing budget, I really need y’all to spread the love.

– As far as traffic sources go, N4G has been down, Gamekicker has been up, and NeoGaf has been way up. It’s interesting to see what the various audiences like or don’t like. Some idiot on N4G rejected my piece on the Dante’s Inferno movie because the site doesn’t post reviews on Avatar or Spider-Man. That’s one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard. Last time I checked, a major game publisher wasn’t directly involved with Avatar or Spider-Man.

– Enjoy the Super Bowl and let me know which commercials impressed you!

PlayStation 3 Closing the Gap with Xbox 360, Almost Profitable

Sony’s PlayStation 3 console has been performing well since the introduction of the PlayStation 3 Slim and (more importantly) a price cut to $299. ShackNews noted that the PS3 is at 33.71-million units worldwide, while the Xbox 360 is at 39-million. Considering that it came out later than Microsoft’s system and its initial price was a turn-off to many gamers, I was surprised to learn that the global installed bases are so close.

In related news, Endgadget has reported that Sony is currently losing about $18 per PlayStation 3 sold. In November I wrote about Sony Corp.’s CFO saying that the PS3 will be profitable some time in 2010. It will be interesting to see if and when the company reaches that goal.

As always, I’d love your thoughts on the console wars. Do you think Sony can catch up to Microsoft this year? Do you think the PS3 will reach profitability?

Kingdom Hearts’ Sora Originally Had a Tail and Used a Chainsaw

How different would Kingdom Hearts have been if Tetsuya Nomura’s original design for Sora was used — you know, the one with beast ears and a chainsaw. Translating an interview from Famitsu, Andriasang learned:

The character’s original design was more beast-like — somewhat like a mix of a lion and human. He had a tail and beast-like ears. Instead of his keyblade weapon, he used a chainsaw. These beast-like features were implemented in order to make the character match the Disney characters.

A mix of a lion and a human? You mean like Aslo the Li-man from Epic Movie?!? Seriously though, one of the reasons the original design was nixed was because of similarities to Zidane from Final Fantasy IX. This is just a guess, but I’m pretty sure Disney wasn’t too high on the idea of a child protagonist with a chainsaw.

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PC and Mac Most Popular Game Development Platforms

Game Developer Research’s annual “State of Game Development Survey” revealed that the PC and Mac are the most popular game development platforms. Surprising, no? Actually, it’s not when you consider that social games (i.e. Facebook games) and browser games were lumped into the mix. As for consoles, the Xbox 360 still leads the way. Here’s a snippet from the press release:

Just over 70 percent of developers said they were developing at least one game for PC or Mac (including browser and social games), rising slightly from last year, with 41 percent working in consoles. Within that latter group, Xbox 360 was the most popular system with 69 percent of console developers targeting it, followed by 61 percent for PlayStation 3.

On the handheld front, developers are flocking to the iPhone and iPod Touch platform, leaving the Nintendo DS and Sony PlayStation Portable in the dust. It’s not surprising really. Facebook, browser, and iPhone games are cheaper to make than traditional console games. The market is relatively new and the players are still being established. There are more opportunities in these markets for new(er) developers and publishers.

Microsoft Pulling the Plug on Original Xbox Games on April 15

Microsoft is pulling the plug on Xbox Live support for original Xbox games (or really, Halo 2). Xbox Live general manager Marc Whitten (didn’t he play for the Yankees once?) issued an official statement that included the following:

On April 15 we will discontinue the Xbox Live service for original Xbox consoles and games, including Xbox v1 games playable on Xbox 360 and Xbox Originals. I want to start by saying this isn’t a decision we made lightly, but after careful consideration, it is clear this will provide the greatest benefit to the Xbox Live community.

I was actually surprised and impressed that Microsoft supported online play for the original Xbox this long. Do any of you still play Xbox 1 games online?

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NY State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo Goes After GameStop

New York State attorney general Andrew Cuomo is going after GameStop and other retailers over fraudulent fees. Here’s the skinny from GamePolitics:

The AG’s office believes that GameStop and the others have been “tricking customers into accepting offers from third party vendors, which then siphon money from consumers’ accounts.” Because of the relatively low dollar amount of the charges, the fees may go unnoticed for some time.

The names of the companies involved read like a laundry list of e-commerce: Barnes and Nobles, Expedia, Pizza Hut, Staples.com, Travelocity, Classmates.com, etc. According to Cuomo, the three discount clubs under investigation bring in a combined $1+ billion per year, much of which Cuomo believes is fraudulent.

That’s right Pizza Hut and GameStop! You don’t mess with New York!!! You don’t want an Italian guy from Queen coming after you. Trust me on this one.

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What Are You Playing This Weekend?

Where the hell did this week go? Between this web site, physical therapy, and trying to figure out ways to make money, it was a complete blur to me. The good news is that it’s weekend game time! I’m still playing Vandal Hearts, but it’s probably going to take a back seat to my new copy of Army of Two: The 40th Day. Like the legendary Austin Aries, I enjoy cooperative gaming a ton. My friend was telling me that the latest Army of 2 offers some interesting moral choices. I’m curious about those. I’m not even sure about the moral mindset of mercenaries (aside from Deadpool).

I’ve also downloaded Rhyme Player for iPhone. It’s a simple rhythm game with a limited song list, but I can’t stop playing! I think I’ll write a (not) review next week.

As always, I want to know what’s on your weekend playlist!

Coffee Talk #80: Lime Sorbet Games

Here’s a situation for you. Let’s say you’ve just played 40 or more hours of an intense role-playing game like Dragon Age: Origins or Mass Effect 2. Or maybe you’ve spent dozens of hours playing a great multiplayer shooter. You don’t want to jump right into the next great time suck. You need something to cleanse your palette. You need the lime sorbet equivalent of gaming. What do you play?

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, natural sword enhancement, your application for the LA Clipper’s coaching job, or the greatness of Claudio Castagnoli, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Here’s a situation for you. Let’s say you’ve just played 40 or more hours of an intense role-playing game like Dragon Age: Origins or Mass Effect 2. Or maybe you’ve spent dozens of hours playing a thrilling multiplayer shooter. You don’t want to jump right into the next great time suck. You need something to cleanse your palette. You need the lime sorbet equivalent of gaming. What do you play?

I was chatting about this with a respected colleague recently. After going through a heavy game experience, he likes to break things up with some mindless fun. He chose Jurassic: The Hunted as his lime sorbet game. I always go back to Civilization: Revolution for iPhone between intense games (though it’s something I do daily).

Today I wanted to see if you have a lime sorbet game. Is there something you play to clear your mind for your next great gaming experience? Is there a particular genre or style of game you use to cleanse your palette? Maybe a particular title? Leave a comment and let me know (please)!

AT&T Keeping the Apple iPhone Until 2011? (Oh Noes!!!)

When I first read this report from GigaOm my initial thought was, “Please God don’t let AT&T hang onto the iPhone until 2011.” That would truly suck, as I would love to use the iPhone as a phone (crazy idea, I know) but have little faith that AT&T will substantially improve its network in 2010. Thankfully Credit Suisse’s Jonathan Chaplin’s theory is a bit…basic:

We believe there is a 75% probability that AT&T keeps exclusivity in 2010. We arrive at this probability through a two step process: First, we try to determine whether the Apple / AT&T agreement expires in 2010. The consensus view is that it does; however, we couldn’t find compelling evidence that this is the case. We conclude that there is only a 50% probability that it ends in 2010. Next, we try to determine whether AT&T bids for another year of exclusivity if exclusivity does end in 2010. We conclude that they would and that they can afford to compensate Apple such that Apple would be economically indifferent. Our approach yields a 25% probability for this outcome. Taken together, we see a 75% probability that AT&T keeps exclusivity for another year.

I expect more from a Swiss banker (like Claudio Castagnoli). Is it me or does Chaplin’s theory seems third-grade-ish?

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