In a recent column over at the The Times online, a guest contributor named Giles Whittell wrote one of the most ridiculous articles I have ever read on the subject of video games. And while he may be entitled to his opinion, his belief that video games are the root of all evil and on par with "heroin and teenage parents" is not only sickening, but ludicrous.
In his piece entitled, "Video games: I'll never buy one", Whittell outlines his hatred for video games and his utter lack of knowledge about what the form of entertainment really means to children and society.
"I hate video games, on or offline," he spewed. "I hate the way they suck real people into fake worlds and hold on to them for decades at a time. I hate being made to feel hateful for saying so, and I hate being told to immerse myself in them before passing judgment, because it feels like being told to immerse myself in smack and teenage pregnancy before passing judgment on them."
Whoa. Calm down, Giles. Smack and teenage pregnancy? That's a new one. Not too sure about you, but where I come from, smack usually involves a nose or a syringe. Oh and pregnancy, yeah, that usually involves something a bit more intimate than pressing buttons on a piece of plastic.
But I digress. What is wrong with this character? Obviously this is a man that's both misguided and misinformed about what's really going on in the world of video games.
... Read moreEven though news sites are touting the eventual release of new HDTV technologies and calling them the saviors we've been waiting for, the simple fact is they're not anywhere close. And to make matters worse, many of these are nothing more than proofs of concept that have no marketability. In other words, don't start trashing your plasmas and LCDs just yet because they'll be around for quite a while.
On Monday, I had the opportunity to interview Bob Perry, Panasonic's senior vice president for its display division, for the next episode of my CNET Digital Home podcast. During the interview, I asked him what the future of the HDTV market looks like and what we should expect.
Much to my chagrin and certainly some of those who will listen to the interview, he said that the chances of a new HDTV technology hitting store shelves anytime soon are slim. According to Perry, we're still at least a decade away from the next real HDTV technology that could actually supplant LCDs and to a lesser extent, plasmas.
Suffice it to say, it's a sad day for those of us who want to see the next big thing.
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After visiting both Best Buy and Circuit City this weekend, I was floored by the incredible differences between both stores: Best Buy was packed, Circuit City was begging people to come in; Best Buy was making sales every few seconds, Circuit City had one register open and no one in line. Thinking this must have been an anomaly, I did some research on both of the companies' financials and came to a staggering conclusion: Circuit City is dead in the water.
Sure, some may say that my assertion that Circuit City is dead may be a bit premature considering the fact the company has enjoyed growing revenue with last year's figure amounting to almost $12.5 billion, but for the first time in three years, Circuit City incurred a loss of $8 million -- a sharp contrast from its 2006 profit of $139 million.
But Circuit City's problems go far beyond its financials. Much like CompUSA, it's a company that is plagued with poor leadership and a host of issues that its management simply can't fix. And to make matters worse, the same two forces that killed CompUSA -- the online world and Best Buy -- have Circuit City in their sights now and things don't look good.
Trust me -- it's all over for Circuit City.
... Read moreSo you've probably been told by numerous Apple zealots that their favorite company is the greatest in the world. And while they're all wrong for believing it, their company will eventually become the most dominant in the tech industry. Sorry to break it to you, but it's true.
So why will that happen? Believe it or not, it's not the stretch some may think it is. Let's face it -- Microsoft dominated the industry for years through sheer power and control along with a little business know-how thrown in. And although some like to believe that Bill Gates and company walked in one day and took the industry over, it didn't happen that way. Instead, it took years and a slew of deals to propel Microsoft to the top -- something Apple is working on now.
Now I know what you're saying -- "will this be an Apple fanboy rant about the wonders of Steve Jobs?" Hardly. The fact of the matter is Apple is poised to become the most powerful company in technology and along the way it'll definitely court its share of individuals who will despise its every move. And let's face it -- a company doesn't become the most dominant by being the nicest on the block.
... Read moreI don't know about you, but after playing through countless hours of video games saving the world in more worlds than I can count, I've grown tired of the same old thing. I can live with sword fights and looting, but more than anything else, I'm sick and tired of cutscenes that break up the action.
Can anyone give me one good reason for why cutscenes are really that necessary? Sure, they help move the story along and I can appreciate that, but I don't need fancy renderings of my pixelated heroes talking to each other when all I really want to do is slay some more beasts.
As far as I can tell, this idea of cutscenes, which was made brutally unbearable by Hideo Kojima in the Metal Gear series is nothing more than an attempt by game developers to display their graphical prowess and make a video game feel more like a movie.
I don't want a movie. I want a video game.
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 | EPISODE 8 |
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For the past decade, one of the most important debates raging in the tech industry is on the topic of piracy. Some people say that it should be stopped with the help of lawsuits and others suggest it can only be done by being slightly nicer by forcing people to pay for media. But whatever happened to the common sense route? Surely it has been espoused before and some even follow it. Why are some organizations so far behind?
As Amazon has proven, allowing people to do what they want actually works in an environment where they can easily get the same song elsewhere for free. In other words, why fight city hall when all you really need to do is agree?
Believe it or not, there is a way to almost entirely wipe out piracy once and for all. No, it's not by suing those responsible or forcing people into situations. Instead, it's by giving us what we want in a nice package for an affordable price. Does that sound so hard?
... Read moreIn a surprising announcement out of Sony BMG today, the company's chief said his company is exploring the possibility of developing its own music downloading service. And while he may believe that it makes sense, I think it's one of the dumbest things I've heard from one of the record labels in a long while.
According to Rolf Schmidt-Holtz, Sony's online subscription service would allow customers to download an unlimited number of Sony BMG tunes for about $9 to $12 per month. All downloads would also be compatible with every major player on the market, including Apple's iPod.
Although this may sound nice on paper -- after all, Sony BMG is a major record label with major songs -- it makes no sense. Sure, Schmidt-Holtz went on to say that Sony BMG is in discussions with other major music distributors, but if you take a logical look at what's really going on here, the other labels will never jump on the bandwagon and Sony BMG's service will die before it even gets started.
And here's why:
... Read moreIn the world of Sega and especially the Dreamcast, few video game series were able to live up to the considerable hype that preceded them. And while some critics thought Shenmue was nothing more than a poor attempt at writing a real saga, others knew better. And although the chances of seeing this series come back to today's consoles are slim, it should and it must.
So what is Shenmue? Shenmue is the result of $70 million and countless of hours of development that were summed up in one simple statement at the beginning of the saga:
"He shall come from a far eastern land across the sea. A young man who has yet to know his potential. This potential is a power that could either destroy him or realize his will. His courage shall determine his fate. The path he must traversed brought with adversity. I await whilst praying, for this destiny predetermined since ancient times. Awaiting in anticipation. A dragon emerges from the earth as ominous clouds fill the sky. A phoenix descends from the heavens trailing purple from its wings. The pitch-black night unfolds with the morning star as its only light. And thus, the saga begins....."
And it's that saga that not only revolutionized gaming, but kept millions across the globe captivated by the story of Ryo Hazuki, a young man who watched his father die at the hands of the Lan Di in 1986. From there, this Japanese man set out to find the man who killed his father, solve the mystery of why his father was killed and seek revenge.
Although a few simple paragraphs may not do this story justice, those that have played the titles and want to lead Ryo in his quest know that there would be no greater moment than to hear Sega announce that the next installment in the series is coming soon.
... Read moreYesterday on CNET News.com, my colleague Richard Derfendorf wrote about the impending decision on the part of the FCC to either allow or deny the merger between XM radio and Sirius Satellite radio.
According to Derfendorf, the FCC is "inching closer" to making a decision on the deal and does not look "as daunting" as it once did. He went on to explain that some analysts believe the long wait (a little over 400 days) is actually working in the satellite companies' favor.
And while all that may be true, there's something going on behind the scenes that shouldn't be overlooked. The fact that XM and Sirius were forced to wait this long to finally receive a decision is both ridiculous and just plain wrong.
Unfortunately, you can bet ClearChannel Radio and other terrestrial monsters have something do with it.
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