Coffee Talk #28: What Would You Do in a 24-Hour Blackout?

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, Brock Lesnar’s strange and severe sickness, preparing for the impending (awful) Twilight madness, or the DC Universe’s Blackest Night, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Blackouts scare me. The thought of not being able to play on my consoles or use my PC for an extended and unknown period of time is just…chilling. Sure, it’s more than a bit ridiculous, but I totally admit it. Technology — powered by electricity, of course — is a huge part of how I keep myself entertained. I wouldn’t know what to do with myself during an extended power outage.

Blue LanternFortunately, that’s not really a problem, since I live in a major city in a first-world country. That said, I started thinking about what I would do if such a catastrophe struck (yes, I’m exaggerating). Would I bust out a board game? Would I enjoy an extended round of bedroom activities? Or would I geek it up in another way?

If a blackout struck today, I think I’d read some nerd books. I haven’t really started R.A. Salvatore’s The Ghost King and I’ve totally been digging the various lead-ups to Blackest Night. Candlelight geek reading FTW!!!

How about you? What would you do if you couldn’t touch your consoles, play on the Internet, or “chat” with your fellow RPadholics for 24 hours? How would you spend your time if you didn’t have electricity for 24 hours? (And for the sake of the game, please don’t list playing on your fully charged PSP, Nintendo DS, or iPhone. Ha!)

Google News: Chrome OS Details and Google Phone Coming!

Google Chrome

There’s a ton of Google buzz floating around the Internet this week. First off, the company is holding an event on Thursday to reveal details on its upcoming Chrome OS. This lightweight operating system will be used in netbooks, MIDs, and other low cost computing devices.

I’m super excited for Chrome OS. While there are other Linux-based operating systems for netbooks available, I expect Google to add a level of polish that’s a cut above what’s out there. Chrome OS netbooks will be cheaper than those running Windows XP or Windows 7. Furthermore, I’m tied to so many Google products that a Chrome OS netbook would work brilliantly for me. Most of my work on RPad.tv is done on Gmail, the Chrome browser, Google Docs, Paint.net, and Skype. A Chrome OS device can handle all of that in a simple and integrated fashion.

But wait! There’s more!!! TechCrunch has learned that Google will be releasing its own Android phone shortly…and it sounds hot! The Google phone will allegedly be armed with:

Continue reading “Google News: Chrome OS Details and Google Phone Coming!”

PSA: Buy a Nintendo DSi and Get a Game or Headset Free

Nintendo DSi

Today’s Amazon “Countdown to Black Friday” deal isn’t as interesting as yesterday’s, but some of you might dig it. It’s a Nintendo DSi promotion. If you buy a white DSi, Amazon will throw in a game or headset for free. The headsets are pretty cheap and most of the games are crap, but the one title that might make it worth your while is Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, developed by BioWare.

The deal expires at 11:59PM PST tonight (Wednesday).

The Death of Unlimited Internet Will Likely Screw Cloud Gaming

Stacey Higginbotham (no relation to Michael Hickenbottom) wrote an interesting article for GigaOm about the end of all-you-can-eat broadband access. Most Internet providers are working towards tiered plans with set bandwidth caps. Cable companies are being the most aggressive with these practices, since Internet video cuts into their television offerings. Sadly, it looks like “unlimited” Internet will be going the way of the dodo.

The article got me thinking about cloud-based gaming-services like OnLive, Gaikai, and whatever Ken Kutaragi is cooking up. While some of you are fixated on the pricing structure these services will offer (stares at Smartguy), I think that’s a pretty minor problem. Sure, a small and vocal percentage of customers will argue that digital downloads should be much cheaper than retail games and be disappointed when they’re not. Some will complain about not being able to resell games. The majority of consumers will just pay the set price and live with it (see the Xbox 360 wireless adapter, for example).

Comcastic

Getting back to the death of unlimited Internet, I’ve said time and time again that Internet services providers are the biggest obstacles to cloud gaming in America. How can you stream Blu-ray quality graphics when you have a Comcastic bandwidth cap of 250GB? How can you play hours and hours of online games every day with a limited amount of Internet access? The answer is that you can do all these things…but you’ll have to pay a premium price for Internet service. You’ll have to pay for the top speeds and the largest caps, which will surely cost more than whatever you’re paying now and can eliminate some of the inherent “cheapness” cloud gaming has to offer.

I’m all for cloud gaming. I am of the opinion that optical discs and plastic boxes are stupid. I’d gladly trade the stacks and stacks of games that I have for files in a digital locker. The problem is that ISPs are going to make it difficult for me to get to my locker.

CNet UK Poll Shows 60% Failure Rate for Xbox 360

Xbox 360 RROD smallA recent poll by CNet UK showed that Microsoft’s Xbox 360 failed way more than Nintedo’s Wii and Sony’s PlayStation 3. The poll found that “60% of the respondents indicating that their 360 had failed at some point. Sony’s PlayStation 3 broke for 16% of those who took part in the poll, while the Wii stopped working for just 6%.” Here are some other interesting results:

  • 32% said their Xbox 360 console broke twice
  • 19% claimed Xbox 360 broke three or more times
  • The 360 failure rate fell to 34 percent for respondents who had purchased a console since January 2008

It’s important to note that 1,128 people took the poll, with 591 owning a Wii, 562 owning an Xbox 360 and 473 possessing a PS3. The sample is very small and hardly random. While Microsoft has certainly improved the reliability of newer Xbox 360 models, the figures are still pretty severe. Besides, it’s always fun to look at poll results like these.

As some of you know, my Xbox 360 Elite red ringed twice. My other systems have been fine. How about you? Any of your consoles break down?

Source

Today’s Poll: Romantic Interests in Dragon Age: Origins

Dragon Age LelianaBioWare has always done a good job at integrating romantic storylines in its RPGs. I fondly remember playing through Baldur’s Gate II, once courting the cute and innocent Aerie and once bedding the evil and sexy drow Viconia. Both romances added a bunch of unique dialogue to the game, giving each play through a unique feel.

Dragon Age: Origins has four romances you can pursue. Do you go with Alistair, the foppish templar that’s clearly one of Hugh Grant’s ancestors? Morrigan, the sexy swamp witch? Zevran, the bisexual elf assassin (I love typing that phrase)? On my first play through, I went with Morrigan; the dialogue was fun, but it was too easy. This time around, I had my female warrior get with Leliana, the cute bard with an adorable accent and a mysterious past. Her romance was tougher to trigger and her back story was more interesting than Morrigan’s, so I enjoyed this courtship more. Besides, I’m still immature enough that I get excited by most lesbian interactions.

I wanted to see which Dragon Age romance was your favorite and why. Answer in the poll and leave your reasons in the comments (please)!

[poll id=”9″]

PSA: Free Xbox Live Weekend!

Xbox 360 Twitter

To show off all its nifty and new Xbox Live features, like Facebook and Twitter, Microsoft is giving Xbox Live Silver members a free weekend of Gold service. The promotion runs from 9AM PST on Friday until 9AM PST on Monday. Major Nelson plugged:

During the free Live Weekends, all Xbox Live Silver members can enjoy: online multiplayer, Facebook, Twitter, Last.FM, Netflix, Sky Player, Halo Waypoint and 1 v 100.

While most enthusiast gamers have Xbox Live Gold accounts, a lot of casual users do not. Some of the people that would enjoy Facebook and Twitter on an Xbox 360 will try out Gold and likely sign up. Will it be a huge number? Who knows? But these trial periods are an effective way to raise numbers.

Are any of you Xbox Live Silver members, btw? I figured almost all of you would be Gold.

Source

The Army’s Most Effective Recruiting Tool? A Videogame

Americas Army game

The America’s Army line of games has been used to recruit youths into military service. While I imagine that some impressionable teens would get caught up in the game and think the Army is “cool”, the effectiveness of the game is much higher than that. According to a study conducted by two M.I.T. researchers:

30 percent of all Americans age 16 to 24 had a more positive impression of the Army because of the game and, even more amazingly, the game had more impact on recruits than all other forms of Army advertising combined.

I’m just greatly amused that the Army stole The Last Starfighter’s gimmick and turned it into a highly effective recruiting tool.

Is anyone else surprised by the M.I.T. findings? Are young people so impressionable that a game can lead them to a major lifestyle choice?

Source via Game Politics

Coffee Talk #27: What Are Your Next-Gen Console Dreams?

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, that tool in the Final Fantasy XIII release date announcement video, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper’s return to MSG, or helping me find a new coffee company (part II), Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

There are certain things you can expect each console generation — better graphics, enhanced sound, less money in your bank account, etc. Every now and then, a key feature is introduced that takes consoles to a new level. It seems quaint now, but the inclusion of DVD in the PlayStation 2 was huge — it turned consoles into devices for movies and games. Microsoft revolutionized online console gaming with Xbox Live. Today’s machines stream movies, browse the web, allow for social networking, and more. While this generation is still going strong and still has several years to go, it’s always fun to think about what’s next.

Tivo Gets Me

A few months ago, I wrote about my next-gen console dream: TiVo integration. Consoles are already capable computing machines with hard drives, so adding TiVo to the mix would be a snap. I’d love for one of the “big three” (I don’t care which one) to license TiVo software for their next console. If Microsoft, Nintendo, or Sony announced a partnership with TiVo, I’d cry tears of joy.

I wanted to ask you what your dream features are for the PlayStation 4, Wii 2, and Xbox 720. Do you want more online functionality? Perhaps one-button pizza ordering? A wave motion cannon? Leave a comment and let me know (please)!