PlayStation 3 Wishlist

Reading from Wired's review of the PlayStation 3 which notes its "lack of punch" and rounding up the opinions I've seen from other reports - here's a list of things it seems it could use before being able to meet the success of the earlier models:


Universal Friends List
These days, it's just so much better to play games with the same group of chums rather than the random griefer on the street. Get your posse and keep them gaming. Sony should be making this social networking as easy as possible. The Wii and Nintendo DS could learn a few things on this as well.

Background Downloading
There's no reason why you shouldn't be able to play a little Resistance while waiting for that download to finish.

Better PSP Integration
Sony's missing a real opportunity to treat the PSP as a true satellite product. Look at Apple and the iPod. The PSP is a media machine. The PS3 is a media machine. The PS3 should be the PSP's bigass remote storage bay and the PSP should browse PS3 contents and capabilities without worrying about what the PS3 itself is doing. Not a remote display - a remote browser.

Next-Generation Title
It won't be Killzone. Sony needs something other than a Halo killer ... they need something which makes people think differently about gaming in general. An excellent co-op title or something as novel as Katamari. Perhaps a title which emphasizes using the PSP for gameplay or takes full advantage of the storage capacity of the Blu Ray. Think about how PS1 titles ushered in a shift by having serious cinematics and times it by a thousand and ... oh wait, sorry, that's Meet Joe Black.

More Media Downloads
Apple has movies and shows. Microsoft has shows. Sony has Talledega Nights. You're Sony. Show us some studio love.




tagged: game, gaming

Why The NaNoWriMo Hate?

I stumbled on this while googling articles on wuxia, of all things:

The thing that made McCloud's challenge interesting is that it stemmed exactly from a deep and abiding love of the medium and a desire to see more work in it. As for National Novel Writing Month, they seem to care more about making you feel good than about anything having remotely to do with storytelling. And you'll excuse me if I find that just a little depressing.

-- Why I Hate National Novel Writing Month, and Why You Should Too [Wet Asphalt]

Regulars should know already that NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. It's a challenge to people to try and write a 50,000 word novel in one month. Some people apparently get offended by this. Eric is one of those people.

Later on, after some bashing on being elitist, he rephrases his statement as "NaNoWriMo trivializes novel writing" and later "'Trying your hand' at writing fiction and writing a whole novel (in a month, no less) are not quite the same thing. I stand by what I've already said."

What's sad about this anti-NaNoism is how completely ignorant it really is of NaNo and the people who participate in it. Guys like Eric (and I ranted about another similar one on the Sunset blog) just hear about the contest and read the FAQ and dismiss it as belittling the art form. They are almost universally English geeks of some variety and generally lit snobs at that.

Thing is - Eric's "clarifications" on his points make it so obvious that he himself misses the point of NaNoWriMo almost completely. There's little comparison to NaNo and say - actually writing a novel. NaNoers are generally quite aware of this. If Eric would just dig a little deeper into the FAQ, he'd see:

How do you define "novel?" Does fan fiction count? What if I want to write interconnected short stories rather than a novel? What if my story is largely autobiographical, or is based on a real person? Can I still write it in November?
We define a novel as "a lengthy work of fiction." Beyond that, we let you decide whether what you're writing falls under the heading of "novel." In short: If you believe you're writing a novel, we believe you're writing a novel too.

In other words - NaNo defines "novel" as "that thing you're trying to write." A lot of people engage in lengthy works of fan fiction. Some are trying first drafts. And yes, some are trying to actually get a novel done. The construct of "writing a novel" in NaNo terms isn't supposed to be a microcosmic version of professional novel writing - it's just a way of encaspulating one month of writing in a generic way. You want to write a "novel" of poetry? Go at it.

So to clarify for guys like Eric - they could have called it National Write 50,000 Words Month ... but it just doesn't sell as well. However, nobody is threatening your cherished notion of a novel or it's lofty place as a literary form. They're just trying to get people to have an excuse to write.

Simply put - anything that gets a large group of people writing anything is a good thing. Especially in this day and age of e-mails and instant messaging ... writing is getting to be taken for granted. The best advice I've ever gotten from both of the best writing teachers I've ever known is ... just write. Writing is an exercise and if you don't keep up a regiment ... you'll loose it. If NaNoWriMo is that month long fitness exercise non-writers need to keep their pen muscles in shape ... all power to it.





tagged: nanowrimo

Game Boy = Military Grade Hardware

This Game Boy was damaged during the Gulf War. Despite the carnage laid to it - it still works. Now that's craftsmanship. Via Plaid Ninja's photostream


tagged: game, gaming

Use Keyboard And Mouse On A 360

Apparently someone finally figured out how to get a keyboard and mouse on the 360. The device from modders XCM includes ports for PS/2 and USB devices as well as a PS2 port ... for some reason.




I don't know why Microsoft continues to make this difficult on people. Sony is going the complete opposite way and will try and make bluetooth devices as compatible with the PS3 as possible. Both the Wii and PS3 acknowledge that the console is good for downloading things other than just games, demos and movies - they're equipping their users with a web browser and everything ... and a Wii keyboard wouldn't surprise me one bit.

It's grand and all that Microsoft doesn't want to appear to be cutting into the PC gaming market. Course, if they were serious about that - they'd get better games on the PC. Gears of War for the PC? I wouldn't hold my breath.




tagged: game, gaming

Zune Hates Firefox

Anyway, as I said, I have an up to date box but the Zune software refused to install. Guess why? Because I tried to download it using Firefox, my browser of choice. Luckily for me an iTWire reader had the same problem. So Microsoft wants to alienate about 13% of browser users - actually about 40% in Germany and more than 20% in Australia - who use Firefox and force them to use IE 7 just so they can download the Zune software.

-- Why consumers are angry with Microsoft over Zune


Yeesh. That's just bad form. A good example of Microsoft using its own monopoly to hurt itself and consumers. Apparently the hardware requirements are oddly high as well. Does Microsoft want people to use this player or not?




tagged: microsoft, zune

Amazon's $100 360's Slammed

I got a friend to try and get in on one of those Amazonian $100 360 deals. His luck turned out to be exemplary of the process. He got in early - refreshed a few times ... and then got nothing but server errors until the 360's were all sold out. A few other reports from the gamesphere claimed similar problems. Boo to Amazon to not being able to support the deal properly. If you're going to offer something which is clearly designed to maximize the number of users rushing to your site at the same time - grab a couple extra servers ... you're gonna need 'em.




tagged: game, gaming

The Big Questions

Gaming is rolling into new turf now - we've got the Wii, 360 and PlayStation 3 all out and running. Each of them pose some interesting questions for their specific manufacturers, gamers and the future of gaming. And it's odd - I know nobody personally who actually started to join this generation yet. Perhaps post holidays, I or The Brother may be a Wii owner. Or maybe we just get my Dad one and let him be a guinea pig. It's odd - most of my friends are young, affluent and tech-savvy ... several dinks with plenty of disposable income. Most own at least one "current gen" console or will at least play if you shove a controller in their hand. But for the most part, they're unconcerned with Blu-Ray and some didn't even get the memo that Nintendo was mounting a "revolution". A few have shown interest in getting a new console - but other worries like HDTV's, impending babies and paving driveways take precedent.

So I'm definately in trouble of becoming a complete armchair commentator here. Play Gears Of War? I don't have a 360, HDTV or anyone I know to play with Xbox Live. About three degrees of seperation from the current frontline of the next generation.

But I like my armchair. It's warm and comfy. So here's a bit of pondering to go with your Monday coffee.


Will the Wii be a revolution or a novelty?
Most people would brush this off as near buffonry ... only non-gamers would question the Wii right now. Right? The mainstream media has been hugging the Wii like a big stuffed bunny. It's the fan friendly alternative to a launch - meaning a launch unlike Sony's and Microsoft's where fans actually get to buy the product instead of be part of some media hype about they're so hard to get.

Who wouldn't love the Wii? It's just too darn cute to hate, right?

Except that reports from people who have bought the thing have just been bizarre. A small fraction of people have ruined their televisions by flinging the wiimote into them. People are finding that - even though I'm pretty certain you don't have to play the Wii this way - they are getting quite the workout. And not everyone powers up that game to get a workout - I played Marvel Alliance for much of yesterday basically because I was too tired to move. Would I want to play the same game using hand motions to activate the powers that I can currently do with two buttons?

The DS is clearly a triumph of Nintendo design. Right now the Wii, though, is getting headlines because of being so different than anything else. Will the Wii survive after it's honeymoon period has worn off?

Will the real PlayStation 3 please stand up?
The only person I've been able actually hear talk about the PS3 firsthand was one of the guys around the office who declared, "It's not worth the $600" and "pretty much looks like the 360" and "of the four games I got, one was good." That game, of course, was Resistance, which he called, "a pretty fun shooter." The PS3's lack of true next-gen appeal isn't going to escape the notice of eagle-eyed early adopters. While the aftermarket crowd has been cashing in hand over fist (despite some blogs declaring it's ... ahem ... tanked) ... the people who really want to actually play the thing are beginning to wonder what all the fuss was about.

The PS3 is the polar opposite of the Wii. Luke warm media reception (except the gameblogs which outright hate it) with a high cost ... it's not the best guidepost for success. Worse - as I've been saying for months now - Sony is doing nothing to smooth over the situation. They refuse to talk details about the console to trumpet any kind of feature set that Microsoft and Nintendo don't already have an answer. On the flip side - Sony's MSRP gives them an instant talking point ... cost ... that Sony can't beat.

Resistance may be a great game ... but it's clearly no Halo. It's not going to be the game that launches 1 million PS3's. Sony will have to carry that water themselves ... and they better start hauling.

Can The 360 Keep Pace?
Microsoft's biggest concern must be that when the field was clear ... the 360 still didn't sell that great. Not that it sold terribly, but the launch lacked that glean of success the original Xbox carried. Microsoft won't admit this publically, of course, and they even have fudged numbers to back themselve up. Fact remains - the PlayStation 2 continued to rock the 360's world pretty much since the day it launched. Despite their MTV style launch specials and game blog hugging ways ... the 360 isn't taking the world by storm.

Now that they aren't the only toy in the next-gen toychest ... will they sell the numbers they want to reduce the bleeding dollars Microsoft saw with the first Xbox? Microsoft lost loads of cash on the original release - a fact that they can write off as both a tax relief and marketshare investment. If the 360 doesn't improve those margins ... what will that mean for the Xbox III 720++? (or whatever they call it ... Xbox Vista? who knows).

A rumor was floated around the Microsoft might go beyond simply revamping the 360 into a cooler, smaller and cheaper version of it's current self (with probably more hard drive options to boot). A more powerful 360 II might be in the works at the same price point instead. I scoffed at the notion then and I scoff at it now ... but if the Wii and PS3 eat into the 360's lackluster sales ... I might start thinking otherwise.


Where will we high def from here?
High Definition continues to be a scary sea of components and standards ... and let's face - the HDTV proponents aren't helping. Sony released the PS3 with some 1080i unfriendliness. Microsoft had issues with their 1080P upscaling. Most consumers don't know what HDMI is and I'm willing to bet that several aren't aware of the current format war.

Eventually, high definition will take hold. The industry won't let it go any other way. It's proving to a long and bump road, however, and it's hard to underscore how central this is for the next generation living room. Largely - next gen is high def. Even Nintendo shows the Wii off with fancy widescreen TV's ... and it's merely a child of "EDTV" design. Sony might be stumbling with PS3 details ... but until HDTV becomes common - that can probably ride on PS2 sales for a while.






tagged: game, gaming

Did Console Kill The PC Gaming Star? (TAKE 302)

The future does not look good either: Gabe Newell declared once that he does not find in Vista anything that might help him in any way possible. Coming from a guy like him, that’s just awful. But what is Windows Vista doing for gamers is really not that spectacular: an automated detection system that chooses the right settings for a game, based on the installed hardware; improved parental control, for games rated “M”; the possibility to access games from a separate menu (now that’s just like a useless appendix…); the possibility to search for upgrades automatically (no thanks, games have that too…); Direct X 10 (yeah, I’ll need to buy a new graphics card to have Aero work…). And only a single famous title that will fully use Vista’s capabilities for 64-bit computing and its DX 10 feature: Crysis, produced by Crytek. Of course, to be able to play it you’ll need to totally renew your PC, which might just make you think a PS3 or an Xbox 360 or even a Wii is not that bad…

- Analysis: Did Consoles Kill the PC as a Gaming Platform? [Playfuls]


The article makes many of the same points as before - piracy and hardware complications make the PC less and less desirable for developers who are getting increasingly better development tools and more mature consumers from consoles. Course, I've been up like 40 hours out of the last two days - so maybe it doesn't.

"Kill" is of course the problematic term here. "Greatly diminish" just doesn't sound the same in headline, though. The PlayStation 3 is more of a wildcard than ever before as well - with Linux support out of the box and broad compatibility with Bluetooth keyboards and mice in the pipeline as well (some devices may already work). As HDTV's bring the living room's viewing resolution to the same graces that PC owners have kept secret in the second bedroom for so long, as the Wii tries to bring you weather and news at the flick of a wrist ... consoles are making inroads in more ways than just cheap ways to get powerful, customized hardware.

Course, PC's still have the World of Warcraft. So there will probably still be sales for some time.



tagged: game, gaming

For Sunday: My Pakistani Step-Dad

This incredibly irreverent comedy comes courtesy of our friend at mini red satan and is wrong on several levels - but it's perfect for Thanksgiving weekend.

What Sound Does A Space Turkey Make?*

My dad used to call the sum of all computer games "shooting space turkeys" - a reference to an ad he saw once in a magazine. I don't think he ever lost the humor of it ... probably to this day. Even though he is now a GameCube owner and something of a TimeSplitters addict.

So enjoy your Space Turkey Day peeps - I should be back in the chair by Sunday.


* hubble, hubble, hubble





tagged: game, gaming

Marvel Ultimate Alliance Additional Notes

We're still hooked, but a few new things:

1. You might have noticed a Genji bug which Kohler describes as a "game-killer". Both X-Men Legends II and now Marvel Ultimate Alliance featured similar problems. XMLII had a bizarre issue about finishing the Temple level - if you left at the wrong point of the level and didn't come back the same way ... you would never get back. Last night, the Arcade Boss level in Marvel Alliance literally placed itself in the corner ... and proceeded to get stuck there. The XMLII bug required us to actually restart the whole game. Thankfully last night, we had just saved before entering Murderworld.

Yes, these kinds of bugs suck. But I wouldn't assume it's because it's a PS3 launch title. It's just because it's a title.

2. Arcade mode isn't getting enough credit in this version. This is where only the people playing are in the game - no coop AI players. No hotswapping between heroes. For one thing, the game feels more like a straight up action RPG. For another, it reduces clutter on the screen. Finally the end "tally" screen is a fun addition to a night of playing some couch co-op.


tagged: game, gaming

Replacing the PlayStation 3 HDD

Wow, that looks incredibly easy to do - just get a notebook style HDD with similar specs and pull the Sony HDD out, put yours in, format and reboot. Almost simpler than flipping a PC hard drive. Does this make the low end model a little more attractive? I think I might go without the media card reader to save cash on a big hard drive.

This is not possible on the Xbox 360, right? Custom interface, I think. At least Sony has shown some real smarts with the design of this console. It apparently runs cool and silent. It's largely stock components and interfaces it seems. You can install Linux on it. I mean, go hack-crazy people. Don't let the man slow you down or anything.




tagged: playstation 3, gaming

Happy Thanksgiving

Via Pat Beyer's photostream.

Eat, drink and be merry people. Because after this, you get to deal with the Christmas season.

Is Lost Failing ... As A Game?

I have bemoaned the sorry decline of Lost over the last season and a half (or so - Season Two started out strong enough) quite a bit ... and for now I'm willing to see if the producers took any notes with them when they started shooting the second half of Season 3 (which I think by the break, they were about half done).

However, there is another angle. Lost has been compared to a new wave kind of game - the marriage between television elements and in particular, Alternate Reality Games (like Jaime Kane or I Love Bees. The fact that the show begged viewers to watch, record and rewatch for various hints and clues as to the mystery of the island is similar to web users pouring over HTML code, decoding images and watching videos for hints.

So if the television critics have turned on Lost - what might a gamer think?

No Wocka-Wocka
No, I don't mean Lost needs a talking bear. One of the first things I ever read about game design talked about how Pac-Man's "wocka wocka" was a kind of instant gratifcation for the player. A simple and pleasing sound to indicate that points were being earned. Think the "bling" noise of Sonic.

Lost, on the other hand, is an exercise in delayed gratification. You'll see a flash of a tidbit - and then it's gone. Sometimes for many episodes ... or even a season or more. Remember Adam & Eve, the mysterious bodies in the cave? Yeah, neither do I. No, I'm not expecting a Pokemon style call-out for every important facet shown on the island - but when episode after episode fails to reward for paying attention to detail ... it doesn't make the details any more noteworthy or desirable to chase after.

In an ARG - attention to detail is usually rewarded quickly with new information. Clues cascade into each other and build into a revelation. On Lost, they often just dwindle away. Even more frustrating is the complete seperation between the show and ... the show's ARG, "The Lost Experience." Knowledge of one isn't particularly relevant to the other, and this lack of synergy feels like a missed gaming opportunity.


No powerups
In games, powerups give players a brief feeling of power. They can quickly change the fortune of a battle on the screen. They might take the player into completely new directions. On Lost - upgrades are fleeting and random. The characters get dynamite - but use it only to blow up the hatch. They get a radio - but it does them little good. They find a plane - and it kills one of them. They build a boat and ... well, you're seeing the pattern emerge here. The island giveth and the island take twofold away.

Locke is about the only exception to this rule. When the guy saddles up, the viewer feels like someone is going to get their ass kicked. For most of the other characters - when they try really hard, it almost makes you cringe in fear as to what might happen to them next. Most characters who go through any kind of empowerment on the show just end up dead.

No Boss Fights
Some designers would say this is a good thing - that boss fights are a throwback to coin-op evolution that we haven't figured out how to shake just yet. I like them plenty ... if they're designed right.

So far - big confrontations have been short on the island. We had Ethan - and it was good. We had the polar bears - but they were brief. We've got the Smoke Monster - but that's pretty one sided. In fact, the Smoke Monster is turning into the kind of boss fight that designers love to hate - overly convenient, mostly specially effects and ultimately meaningless.

Wrong Genre
In general, Lost seems to be more modelled after old school adventure games than ARGs. In lieu of meaningful clues, there are object hunts and location finds. Poke around the jungle enough and find the hatch. Go to Dark Terrority and get dynamite. Use dynamite on hatch. Open hatch. Enter Season Two.

ARG? I think the best format for a Lost game might be a text adventure. Seems like a pretty straightforward translation to me. And I don't mean that as an insult - I love me text adventures.

But a warning to the producers - it's very hard to make them commercially viable.







tagged: lost, gaming

The $100 360 From Amazon

For Turkey Massacre Day - Amazon may be selling 1,000 Xbox 360 Cores for $100. I say "may" because it's one out of four possible nominees - although at last check it was ahead in the voting (which is now closed).

I will probably be stuck in Central Illinois and removed from the power of technology. In general. So I'd say my chances of getting there in time are pretty slim, since I imagine Amazon handles 1,000 concurrent connections regularly. What that means is that the whole thing will probably be over by the time the little hand moves another step.

A few tips, from a web developer, in trying for this thing:

- Have one browser window open. Shut down all other apps. In fact, shut down the browser and start it up again. Windows users - you might even reboot. Browsers are clientside applications and a lot more processor heavy and memory heavy than people give them credit for ... especially with big sites like Amazon.

- Go to the page early and reload it. Just once will do, but this should get those common images and filles cached locally on your computer. Don't shut down your browser now (a new sessions may check for new files). You might double check your cache settings to be certain they aren't set to something like "Request From Server Every Time". Cache is speed, and speed is good.

- When the time comes, get a few minutes early and don't be shy about stopping and refreshing. It's true that web servers will just see these as mutliple requests - but as long as Amazon has prepped for the load ... the client doesn't really care.

- Chances are - the page will not need to be fully loaded to be functional. This is rarely the case, especially for forms, because the submit button is generally right when the form ends and should be after all the info that needs to be sent on.


Well, good luck and good hunting. The 360 hasn't had enough appeal to me to drag me in - but it's really hard to argue with the price, even for a Core unit.




tagged: 360, gaming