The podcast is back, with a healthier Jonah joining Jordan. No Dan or Paul however.
The news:
Question of the Week: “What are you most looking forward to in 2014?”
The new rumor, based on a K-Mart sales sheet, is stating we’re going to see an Xbox 360 Premium price drop this summer (July 6th, 2008). The new price is said to be USD $299, down USD $50 from the last price drop on the 360 hardware.
The sales sheet only shows the 20GB Premium product, but this is probably going to hit all units to keep pricing competitive. This wouldn’t be the first time a price drop has been slipped from a sales sheet for a current generation console and we’re sure Microsoft will deny it this time as well.
This brings the console closer to a Wii price tag, making it much more desirable by the average gamer; will Wii respond with a price drop? More than likely the answer would be “no” due to their inability to keep up with demand. The dry channels for Wii consoles makes the product highly desired but also impossible to promote and market further than saying “we have Wii in stock” because demand is just so high.
Sony will have to watch out, their PS3 product is catching up in terms of hype and demand but a drop in 360 price will yet again put them behind the 8-ball in terms of competitive pricing.
Will you consider a 360 for $299?
(Thanks, 1up)
The question of the day, “Do HD graphics matter to gamers?” If you’re currently rolling with a PS3 or Xbox 360 and you’ve got HDMI and or sweet component cables you’re probably saying, “duh, of course they do.” What about everyone else, those Wii consoles for instance, there are so many of those. What about gamers that do not know what HDMI means?
Let’s face it, an estimated 21-million people are still using over the air TV broadcast signal and a large portion of those think that their TV is high definition because it doesn’t have an analog dial anymore. Recent Nielson ratings are showing most gamers are still pushing PS2 hardware, which isn’t high definition.
In the US, HDTV sales only reach 25-30% of the population. Couple this with the fact that one in five HDTV owners can’t tell the difference between standard definition and high definition content and you’ve got roughly 20% of the population utilizing HD. Looking at the number of gaming consoles out there and the rate of uptake, it’s clear that a large majority of gamers are not using HD resolutions for their gaming needs. (loot-ninja)
We’d like to think 1080p looks much different than 480p but some people don’t seem to notice because, honestly, they just don’t care. We’d also like to think a PlayStation 3 buyer would be aware of the HD content and already have equipment at home to take advantage of the system. Although there are no solid facts to state otherwise, there must be a group of individuals that have purchased a PlayStation 3 and are rolling with SDTV (ghetto).
High definition graphics matter to people who want a true HD experience. Wii gamers don’t care about high definition because they’re focused on the game play environment or are just following the wave of hype and desire to own the infamous white box. The Xbox 360 gamers may go either way, a gamer wants to own the system because they can get a lot of cool new games for it secondary to the HD experience. The hot games just don’t get designed on the Xbox classic or PS2 anymore. We’d presume a PS3 gamer really wants to play a high definition game because the cost of the console is more and you’re getting a Blu-ray player all bundled into one.
HD graphics matter to us, we see the difference, respect the detail and use the HD portion of the console as an excuse for paying so much for the technology. The United States, as a whole, isn’t fully ready or equipped (mentally) for a full HD experience. When will they be prepared to experience high definition at its fullest?
My guess, five years after Nintendo makes the transition to 1080p. Nintendo is capitalizing on the “average Joe” and the average consumer is still catching up on the high definition. Hell, many gamers are still playing the dial-up game!
Maybe we need to start a new government funded orgnization: The No HD Left Behind Act. Everyone should be in HD.
Microsoft finally showed off Starfield in a 15 minute demo of various aspects of the game. Is it worth the excitement? Was there anything else notable at the Microsoft/Bethesda Showcase?
If that weren’t enough, the guys also talked about the Devolver Digital showcase with such games as Card Shark and Anger Foot, the PC Gaming Show with such titles as Agent 64: Spies Never Die and Tactical Breach Wizards, and Capcom’s showcase including Resident Evil, Resident Evil and more Resident Evil (and Exoprimal).
Let us know what you think.
Hi guys, great show again. 🙂
I like the idea of turning in a CD or just even having the old DRM code to get a digital version of the game. This is what Blizzard does with their library. I was able to get digital versions of Warcraft III and StarCraft because of my old DRM codes I had been holding on to. I think more companies should do that since we did buy the game, why should we have to pay again for a digital version?
@Steambox: I thought there was only going to be one but apparently there are going to be 13 of them priced from cheap to VERY expensive. This may be a good and easy way for people to find the steambox that will be suited to their needs.
@Sony streaming old games: I agree that I want this and that they should make their entire library available. The fact that Jordan still has a functioning backwards compatible Ps3 didn’t go unnoticed. I’d love to get one myself but the issue is they stop making these consoles so it isn’t easy to get an old console to play an old game. Much easier to just get an emulator (at least for PS1 and PS2).
@QOTW: I am most looking forward to Pillars of Eternity, it promises to be a great RPG game. Among other Kickstarter games like Wasteland 2 and Shadowgate.