Tag: PSP

Today’s Poll: Do You Like Sony Qriocity?

Not that you can currently use it on your PlayStation 3 at the moment (thanks to external intrusions), but I wanted to get your opinions on Sony’s Qriocity service. A unified approach to streaming music, movies, and television sounds great on paper, but there are separate services that do each of these things so well. I know that a lot of you are big on Netflix and some of you use Hulu. Some of you dig Pandora, while a few of you are Slacker or Last FM peeps. Do you think Qriocity can take the place of those services? Or is it just not good enough?

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Coffee Talk #342: Sony’s Android Tablet Ambition

Will the combination of PlayStation Suite and Qriocity lead to Sony succeeding in the Android tablet market? That seems to be what the company is banking on. Sony recently announced that it will be releasing…

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, Iranian terrorists taking over Sizzler steakhouses, currywurst, or Intelligentsia’s Los Inmortales El Salvador: Finca Matalapa Puerta Zapa, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Will the combination of PlayStation Suite and Qriocity lead to Sony succeeding in the Android tablet market? That seems to be what the company is banking on. Sony recently announced that it will be releasing two Android tablets later this year — a traditional tablet with a 9.4-inch screen and a funky folding tablet with two 5.5-inch screens. While Sony’s “style” will help these tablets appeal to the masses, it looks like the company is banking on its own services to help differentiate its tablets from the numerous Android manufacturers out there. Will this strategy work?

I need to think about it more, but my initial inclination is that these tablets will get lost in the shuffle. On the hardware side, a folding tablet doesn’t have the wow factor of 3D (LG G-Slate) or the practicality of a laptop dock (Asus Transformer). On the software and services side, Sony looks silly compared to Amazon and its aggressive Android moves. I know loads of people that love Amazon’s MP3 Store and several that love Amazon Instant Video. I don’t know anyone that thinks highly of Qriocity. PlayStation Suite has lots of potential and I’d love for it to take off, but a few sources within Sony have told me that the product is getting the bastard treatment internally.

What do you think of Sony’s Android tablet future? Will its slick industrial design, PlayStation Suite, and Qriocity help it rise above the competition? Or will Sony’s products end up being one of several Android tablets released in 2011? Leave a comment and let me know (please!).

What Caused the PlayStation Network Outage?

The recent PlayStation Network outage is pissing off millions of gamers. What caused (arguably) the biggest outage in PSN history? Some believe that the hackers at Anonymous have attacked Sony. Others believe that it’s merely a really bad technical malfunction. What do you think? Kindly take today’s poll and discuss!

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This Week’s Videogame Releases

After a few lackluster weeks, Q2 2011 finally gets some hot videogame releases! Portal 2 and Mortal Kombat top the list. Flying under the radar is SOCOM 4. The PSP gets a spruced up version of one of the best Final Fantasy games of all time along with sequel content in Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection.

Any of you picking up new games this week?

Today’s Poll: Gaming or Phoning While on the Toilet

Today’s poll was inspired by RPadholic Sandrock323. He mentioned that he never uses his Nintendo DS while…uh…making a deposit in the bathroom. He believes that his DS is too sacred. Do you agree? Is it okay to play some DS or PSP while doing the #2? How about web browsing on your Android phone or iOS device? Kindly take today’s poll and elaborate (hopefully not in a gross way) in the comments section.

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This Week’s Videogame Releases

While it’s not quite as bone dry as last week, there aren’t a ton of interesting games out this week. I’m curious to see how Michael Jackson: The Experience sells. The King of Pop is gone (rest in peace), but his family is still around to exploit his name. I wonder if Michael’s millions of fans will pick this game up. PSP gamers have a nice sequel (that’s free of Jesus juice) to gobble up this week in Patapon 3.

Any of you guys and gals buying new games this week?

Check Out my Review of The 3rd Birthday (Please!)

Machinima.com has posted my review of The 3rd Birthday. As a Parasite Eve fan and a fan of developers working on this game, I was expecting greatness. Instead I got…uh…goodness. Aside from amazing graphics, there’s nothing all that special about the game and it has little to do with its predecessors. Here’s a quote from the review:

One of the biggest changes in the game is Aya Brea’s characterization. In the first Parasite Eve, she was a strong NYPD officer that kicked ass and didn’t shove sexuality down your throat. That characterization is completely out the window in The 3rd Birthday. Aya still kicks ass, but due to (convenient) amnesia doesn’t possess the strong spirit she had in the other games. Her clothing also shreds as she incurs damage, so you’ll spend a lot of time staring at her legs and ass. There’s even a shower scene that seems like it was included to titillate gamers with a glimpse of her boobs. Aya is definitely hot (uh…you know, for a videogame character, I mean), but what the hell happened to the strong warrior that captivated gamers in Parasite Eve?!?

I’m quite proud that I was able to use legs, ass, and boobs in a review.

Anyway, please check out my review if you have a moment and leave a comment at Machinima if you have two moments. Thanks!!!

Final Fantasy VII Bundled with U.S. Xperia Play

Huge announcement on the American version of the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play — it will come bundled with Final Fantasy VII!!! I’ve been calling for this move early on. It’s a brilliant way for Sony Ericsson to attract gamers to the Xperia Play and for Sony Computer Entertainment to attract gamers to PlayStation Suite for Android. FFVII is one of the most popular and beloved games of all time. Launching the Xperia Play with Android version is just a sharp, sharp move.

Also, look at today’s date.

Coffee Talk #327: The Last Gen of Pure Gaming Portables?

Will the next generation of portable gaming systems be multifaceted devices? Or will a gaming-focused experience still dominate at the end of this decade? Is the future of portable gaming more…

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, Sin Cara debuting the day after WrestleMania, Angelina Jolie’s boobtastic comic book, or Stumptown’s Indonesia Sulawesi Toarco Peaberry, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Handheld gaming is at a crossroads. Largely due to the increased gaming capabilities of Apple iOS products, I don’t think it’s enough for a portable gaming system to be focused primarily on games. With that in mind, do you think that the Nintendo 3DS — which is almost all about gaming no matter what Nintendo claims — will be the last handheld system of its kind?

The original PlayStation Portable was, perhaps, ahead of its time. In addition to great games, it offered strong multimedia capabilities (music, movies, photos), web browsing, communication (Skype), and more. It’s too early to tell, but it looks like the upcoming NGP will bring it all together, offering gaming, social networking, streaming movies, Internet access, communications, and multimedia in a much tighter way than its predecessor.

Will the next generation of portable gaming systems be multifaceted devices? Or will a gaming-focused experience still dominate at the end of this decade? Is the future of portable gaming more NGP or more 3DS? Leave a comment and let me know (please)!

This Week’s Videogame Releases

It’s a pretty huge week in the videogame business. The Nintendo 3DS launched and is selling briskly, though it’s not nearly as hard to find as the Nintendo Wii was during launch week. Wrestling fans that want to set up dream matches pitting current WWE Superstars against old-school wrestlers will want to pick up WWE All Stars. As much as I’ll enjoy the gameplay, I think my favorite part will be hearing Jim Ross’ commentary. Racing fans have two styles of automotive action to choose from in Shift 2 and NASCAR The Game 2011. If you prefer motorcycles over cars then you might dig MotoGP 10/11. Fans of adulterers and golf will have a blast with Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters. Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky looks like a great old-school RPG.

Last, but not least, is a PSP game that I’m incredibly psyched for: The 3rd Birthday. As a Parasite Eve fan, I’m really looking forward to Aya Brea’s next adventure.

Any of you picking up new games this week?