Darren Herman

Sony PS3 Chatter... The World Isn't Doomed

If you read any gaming magazine, online forum, website, or blog, chances are, you'll come away feeling as if PS3 is doomed and that the Nintendo Wii will take over as the winner between the two of them.  While the Wii may sell more units than the PS3 (or vice versa), one thing is being left out of all this pseudo-analysis.... the console manufacturers are targeting different audiences with them.

The Nintendo Wii is going after the casual to medium gamer who doesn't want to spend a lot on a gaming system but wants to enjoy the entertainment surrounding it.  Games will probably be on the cheaper end of the 3 majors and you'll certainly see classic Nintendo games come back to life.  With the Sony PS3, it's targeting a much more hardcore gamer though potentially a bit less than the XBOX 360 and appeals to the technosaavy high-end gamer.

People all over the world are saying that the PS3 is doomed but remember, historically, Sony has sold plenty of Playstations and this is a flagship product for them.  Also, Nintendo with it's superb price point will sell well also.  Research shows that console owners have more than one console - I'd assume plenty of people will pick up both a PS3 and Wii.

WSJ Article On Video Game Lessons

Believe it or not, the cover of todays issue of the Wall Street Journal featured a front and center article about Tom Taylor, a video game instructor who teaches folks of all ages how to improve their skills at either Halo 2 or Super Smash Brothers Melee.

According to the article, the 27 year old runs a company called Gaming-Lessons.com, where gamers can book lessons with Tom for about $65/hr.  Tom teaches his students over VOIP and thru email and even with one lesson, students really learn a great deal.

I think this is fantastic:  first off, it made the front cover of the Wall Street Journal.  Secondly, gaming is big.  It's about time it gets the media attention it deserves.  There are many businesses sprouting around video games as the roots of the industry are deeply planted.  Just look at the Global Gaming League; the company is creating television contact around video games as well, as, managing a highly successful gaming league and website.  Many celebrities have joined up to take part in their endeavor into the Hip Hop Gaming League (HHGL) including their commissioner, Snoop Dog.

There are many other companies surrounding this space and complimenting it- but I'm just really impressed with the attention that this video game instructor received.  Time to go play....

Tags:  Gaming, video games, Halo 2

Top Spin 2

For those of you who know me outside of the office, many know that tennis runs in my family bloodline.  I've always tried finding a tennis video game but haven't been awed by any as of yet...

Enter Top Spin 2 by 2K Sports.  I heard some great things about this game and recently purchased it from a local GameStop in Manhattan.  I was somewhat skeptical of the game because it's really hard to emulate tennis on an XBOX 360 - let alone any console.  From the first minute of playing however, I was drawn into the game and have not looked back since.

The graphics are extremely impressive right down to the sound of the ball.  The engine that runs the game and the physics of tennis are pretty spot on as well.  There are some things that I wish the game had, but overall, this game is fantastic.

I was fortunate to have some friends over this past weekend and we actually played a 4 person tennis match (doubles).  We had a fantastic time and the wireless controllers of the xbox 360 and the realism of the game added to the fun.

If you are a tennis fan who is looking for an intense game that is highly addicting, Top Spin 2 is the game for you.  The only downsides to the game are the "powershot controls", "no let's", and "net play."

E3 Update 2: Xbox 360

Here are some more updates for the Xbox 360 (from various sources)

• MSN, Hotmail will be connected with LIVE. They want to attract people of all age. They are also adding 8 new countries: South Africa, Chile, India, Brazil, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia.
• 3 million LIVE subscribers, 6 million planned by next year. Next level of Xbox LIVE is connecting it with PC and the Windows Mobile world. Connecting it with 230 million MSN Messenger users, 150 million Windows gamers and 1 billion game-ready cellphone.
• "We're going from Live to Live Anywhere". Live Anywhere will be part of Windows Vista. 1 interface, 1 identity, 1 friendslist, 1 message centre, 1 marketplace. You could for example start game on 360 and continu it on cellphone.
• "Shadowrun", you can call up friends list and see what they are doing nomatter what platform they are on.
• One gamertag no matter what the platform is. You can even do achievement comparisons across different platforms.

• They use a Motorola Q running Windows Mobile. Showing Marketplace on Windows Mobile and how you can play Zuma with your gamertag on your mobile.

• Other example is to edit car skin on Vistawith Paint Shop and race with it on Xbox 360.

Tags:  xbox 360, microsoft, E3

E3 Update: XBOX 360

Many new product announcements today including Microsoft and Nintendo.  I have gone through quite a bit of news sources and have compiled a list of new announcements for Microsoft's XBOX Platform:

• Gamers can expect more than 160 high-definition games by the end of 2006 for the Xbox 360 platform
• 57% of Xbox 360 purchasers connect their machine to the XBOX Live platform
• Microsoft Game Studios titles in development for Xbox 360 including "Alan Wake," "Fable 2," "Forza Motorsport 2" and the next installment in the critically acclaimed "Halo" franchise, "Halo 3."
• Xbox Live, surpassing 3 million connected members
• Over 90 percent of connected members are downloading content from Xbox Live Marketplace, driving more than 18 million downloads in the first six months
• The Xbox 360 HD DVD Player, available this holiday, delivers a superior digital audio and visual experience to consumers, enabling them to enjoy blockbuster movies in stunning high definition through their Xbox 360 system. It includes the Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote.

Tags:  E3, xbox 360, msft, and video games

Sony announces price, release date for PS3

North America and Europe launch on Nov. 17, in time for the key holiday shopping period. They had previously announced it would be released in the fall, without giving a specific date. The PS3 is to be released in Japan on Nov. 11.

The PS3 will come in two versions, one with a 20-gigabyte hard drive for $499 and one with a 60-gigabyte drive, for $599.

Tags:  PS3

Hollywood & Video Games

Diane Mermigas has written a nice piece on the early stage adoption of Hollywood within video games which was featured in The Hollywood Reporter today. 

Key insights from the article:

As lucrative as advertising can be, video game developers and Hollywood producers should be determined foremost to preserve the platform for creative purposes, even if it means sharing it with amateur creators. The impact of what Wright calls "the second processor at work -- the player's imagination" marks a return to grass-roots creativity.

"You never know where the next great piece of content will come from as it bubbles its way up from the Internet or a mobile device," Fox Interactive Media president Ross Levinsohn said during a panel at last week's onHollywood conference in Los Angeles.

Sony and Microsoft have grander goals in mind as their respective PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles battle such far-flung rivals as Dell, Intel, Comcast and DirecTV for living room and in-home network server domination. Even such popular social-networking sites as YouTube and MySpace are integrating games as a way to further engage their members.

Within five years, game developers and players will have 10 times more memory and processing capacity, enabling them to draw from the same well of creativity as film producers, experts say.

E3 Madness

Our favorite time of year is here again - when ~60,000 video game industry folks ascend upon downtown Los Angeles to see the latest and greatest games, services, and hardware as they are displayed in beautifully constructed booths... and of course, booth babes.

Sony Playstation 3's picture is finally public.  Nintendo will be announcing Wii in just a few hours at the Kodak Theatre.  Today is just a warm-up - get ready for amazing announcements throughout the game industry over the next few days and I'll be sure to post them here.

Tags: E3, PS3, Wii, Sony, Nintendo

The Club Details

From the developers of Metropolis Street Racer/Project Gotham Racing comes the working title, "The Club."  The PGR series is one of my favorites to date (along with Oregon Trail from back in the day) and the teasers released today from Bizarre Creations are absolutely stunning.... the game is being published by SEGA of America.

Looking forward to this game coming out...

ATMs For Virtual Game Currency

Have you ever wanted to convert virtual dollars into real currency?  It's happening thanks fo Jan Welter, founder of Project Entropia.  In 2005, a virtual space result being in built within the game was purchased by a gamer for $100,000.  The buyer of this virtual space is developing the space station into a virtual night club through which the entertainment industry can sell music and videos to the in-game community.

MindArk is issuing the ATM card and has all the features of a real world bank account.  MindArk allows players to transfer, withdraw, deposit, and even view account balances using the system.

Tags:  Project Entropia, ATM, Virtual World, and currency