The previous two podcasts got corrupted on upload, and now I have to reedit them completely. Be patient.
This week’s there’s a bunch of minor news items, covering things like Sony’s lawsuit, S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2 and the Ukraine invasion, Minecraft frogs, various remasters, and the gang talk briefly about the newly released Tunic.
The main news items include:
Let us know what you think.
Compatibility. This is all we’re really asking for when it comes to rhythm gaming on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii. So far it seems Microsoft isn’t just on board, but enforcing compatibility between instruments from Rock Band 2, Guitar Hero: World Tour and Konami’s Rock Revolution. Sony has also confirmed this behavior on their blog.
What does this mean for gamers? It means we’ll be able to go out and buy the franchise of our choice and not feel we’re locked out of other rhythm games. You can choose the accessories that work best for you and enjoy all the games each developer provides.
This enforcement keeps the developers/publishers in check because they’re going to be highly competitive and looking for any advantage to lock the customer into their product, that’s just business. Having a moderator to say “play nice” is important for the console makers as it allows their customers to be happy and purchasing all this licensed great content. Microsoft and Sony will make more money if customers don’t feel they can only buy a single product.
It’s not about the accessories, it’s about the games. Accessories may make a game better so let the customer decide which will be better and may the best company win!
As for Nintendo? As long as their accessories always use Wii Remote controls everyone is fine, once they break this protocol they’ll have to build their own enforcement or start to lose the edge other console makers are sharpening.
(Thanks, GamerScoreBlog)
Jonah returns from attending E3 last week, as Jordan is a sick latecomer into the podcast. Jonah and Paul relate his near-disaster loss of his iPad Air, while Jordan does his best Don LaFontaine impressions in this episode which is 50% longer than normal.
The news discussed includes:
In addition to the news, there’s Listener feedback, and even better, a new contest to win an E3 Swag Bag – listen in to find out how to win (US listeners only, sorry.)
Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo have great visions for their consoles, they all strive to stand out from their competitors. Nintendo’s key initiative is to get non-gamers on board and provide the world with something a little different while Microsoft’s concept is to get a 360 into the hands of all gamers and build a huge community. Sony’s selling point? Graphics.
When it comes to standing out amongst the other consoles, Sony cannot compete with the Wii‘s quirky cuteness and Xbox 360‘s one-year lead on sales, games and overall functionality. They were late to the game because of technological advances in Blu-Ray and overall graphic horsepower. They’re providing a console that will still look “teh awesomes” ten years down the road, similar to the attack plan of the PS2 product which still sells today.
Sony’s Scott Steinberg, Vice President of Product Marketing for SCEA had nothing but great things to say about the console he’s marketing…
“I think that we’re seeing, graphically, PS3 games starting to create some distance and some of the other competitors are going to feel that they’re getting long in the tooth, looking quite dated, because they haven’t created that ten-year vision from a horsepower standpoint” (psu.com)
Really? Does anyone look at the Xbox 360 and say “this thing looks dated.” Each new title release continues to look more advanced and more graphically appealing than the last. Sure, Resistance 2 looked graphically epic, but the title isn’t on the shelves yet. As a matter of fact, very few PS3 titles are on the shelves when it comes to graphically appealing titles everyone wants.
As Nintendo has proven, it’s not always about the advanced graphics but the fun value and access to many titles across many genre’s of gaming. We’re happy about a nice 10-year vision but there is a reason classic games like Pac-Man, Missile Command and Galaga are still talked about and played by gamers: simple and fun.
Microsoft may not have a ten year vision, this is true, but I’d rather have a hot console I can play for the next six years than own a more expensive console with few games until its third year of life. The PlayStation 3 has been beating the Xbox 360 sales in 2008, is this too surprising given the fact that the Xbox 360 was out a year ahead? Sales aren’t always going to be rosy and over the top (unless it’s the Wii).
Rather than concentrate on how many more consoles the PS3 has sold compared to the 360, look at how many Wii consoles have sold to the graphically superior PS3. Perhaps Sony should speak less to the gamers about how awesome their console is and speak more to the developers so we can get titles worth buying for the console. Gamers only win when a console has games for them to play.
