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
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).
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
A 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?
PSA: Buy a Sony PSPgo, Get $50 in PSN Credit
Dang. I missed this one earlier, but hopefully some of you can still take advantage of it. If you buy a PSPgo
Amazon is doing daily deals to count down to Black Friday. I’ll keep an eye on ’em for you.
Today’s Poll: Romantic Interests in Dragon Age: Origins
BioWare 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
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!
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.
The Army’s Most Effective Recruiting Tool? A Videogame
The America’s Army
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.
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)!
Verizon Responds to AT&T Lawsuit With Trash Talking
Earlier in the month, I wrote about AT&T suing Verizon for its excellent commercials that (rightfully) criticize AT&T’s (shoddy) network. Verizon has filed its response…and it’s awesome. Just look at the intro:
AT&T did not file this lawsuit because Verizon’s “There’s A Map For That” advertisements are untrue; AT&T sued because Verizon’s ads are true and the truth hurts.
Zing!!! Seriously, that’s the coolest start to a legal document I’ve ever seen. It’s straight out of a WWE promo! Awesome.
Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep Gets a Limited Edition Sony PSP
Square Enix’s Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep is getting a limited edition PSP-3000 in Japan. The silver-and-black unit is pretty spiffy, in that Japanese understated way. This special PSP will be available when the game launch on January 9, 2010 for 22,000 yen.
Although I adore Kingdom Hearts and Japanese limited edition consoles, I’m not going crazy for this one. It’s nice…but not nice enough. I much rather have the limited edition Final Fantasy XIII PS3 Slim.
What do you think of this limited edition PSP? Crazy? Sexy? Cool?