So I've watched the Microsoft E3 press conference and I can't help but wonder where J Allard has disappeared to.  He's one of the main executives that launched both Xbox and Xbox 360 and was pretty much the poster child for Xbox 360 last year.  I think Peter Moore is doing a damn good job, but I also that hope J's off working on the rumored "X-Boy" rather than going the way of the dodo (aka Ed Fries).  You know Microsoft is going to make a portable, it is just a matter of time.

 

Come to think of it, I think I know more about the executive staff for Xbox than I know about the head honchos at my own company.  That can't be a good thing.

Recap:

- PS3 will launch worldwide in November 2006 with approximately 2 million units.

- U.S. price point is $499 for 20GB version and $599 for 60GB version

- "Batarang" controller from last year has been replaced with the "dual-shake".  The new controller uses very similar ergonomics to PS1 and PS2 controller.  Wireless connectivity via Bluetooth and 6-axis motion sensitivity.  No more rumble functionality.

- A robust online service was suggested with downloadable content, microtransactions, identity management, rankings, etc.  Basic online access is free.  No word on cost (if any) for online multiplayer.

 

My Reaction:

- Microsoft's strategy is looking pretty damn good right now. Although Sony's online service shows potential, no one believes that Live will be challenged as King in the near future.  The 360 is a full $200 cheaper. 

- The new controller is a joke.  They removed the rumble feature to add motion sensors?!?   There is a "guide" button of sorts and lights to indiciate controller 1-4 similar to 360 controller.  The ergonomics are 10+ years old. Where's the innovation again?

- The price point is steep, but it does have a Blu-Ray drive.  They will have no problem selling millions even at this price point.

- A couple of the games look pretty interesting, but the rest is just "HD" versions of gameplay that is several years old.  I'm sure the quality will improve between now and November, but the hype from last years "target renders" is gone.

- The strength of the PS3 over 360 is going to be in media (Blu-Ray and Sony catalog of music and movies). 

 

 

What's the meaning of those number?

 

Key to a combination lock? nope

Winning lotto numbers? uh uh

 

Those happen to be the pick numbers of Ohio State players drafted to the NFL this weekend.  The Buckeyes managed 5 first round draft choices (out of 32) and 8 overall picks. 

 

Name	Pick #	Team
AJ Hawk	5	Green Bay
Donte Whitner	8	Buffalo
Bobby Carpenter	18	Dallas
Santonio Holmes	25	Pittsburgh
Nick Mangold	29	NY Jets
Ashton Youboty	70	Buffalo
Anthony Schlegel	76	NY Jets
Nate Salley	121	Carolina
Rob Sims	128	Seattle

Here's some more news from the PS3 camp:

 

 

I heard about Microsoft's new framework for streamlining game development across platforms (dubbed XNA) two years ago, but one VERY important detail came to my attention today.  The new framework will allow coding in my favorite language of C#.   It remains to be seen how much of a fully accelerated 3D game could or would be written in C#, but at least I have hope for one day being more than a consumer to the games industry.  I have pretty much avoided C and C++ (the de-facto languages for game development) since graduating college in favor of more modern languages such as C# and Java.  I've done some basic 2D graphics work in .NET in addition to a ton of web and forms UI, but I would love to tackle a full game.  Perhaps a game developer job is in my future? 

 

 

P.S.  Oh yeah, there's information in there about how Xbox Live is becoming an "open server platform" too. 

Read about it here.

 

Summary:

Sony has announced the wholesale pricing structure for their upcoming Blu-ray disks (read here).  Basically, you are looking at $18-$24 wholesale.  Ouch!  Although retail prices aren't set, obviously they will be at least $20 for old titles and probably closer to $30 for new titles.  On the upside, they may be packing in UMDs with "relatively minimal price increase" over the Blu-ray packaging.  I wouldn't mind having a few UMDs for trips, but I'm certainly not going to go out and re-buy movies that I have on DVD for $20+ unless they are HD quality.

Check out my Xbox Live GamerCard.  Ain't integration cool?

It ain't the prettiest solution, but this site details how you can stream DivX and Xvid encoded videos from your Media Center PC to an Xbox 360.  DivX and Xvid are important because they are the primary format for "underground" movies downloaded off the internet.  

Sometimes business really sucks.  Obviously TV stations are in the business to make money, and to make money they need to sell advertising, and to sell advertising they need viewers.  This is the only logical explanation for why G4 (the cable TV network) has drastically changed their programming lineup in the last six months to de-emphasize videogame content.  Never mind the fact that the sub-title for the network is "VIDEOGAME TV". 

 

Recently the network cancelled several shows including "G4TV.com", "Judgement Day", and "Filter".  In its place, the network is airing reruns of "Star Trek", "Star Trek TNG", "Fastlane", and "The Man Show".  This is in addition to other non-videogame shows like "Braniac", "Formula D", and "Street Fury".  Just to be clear, I dig most of these shows on occasion, but isn't that why we have the Spike TV network?  In this age of 100+ channel cable lineups why can't we have specialized networks?  Why must every network be so diverse and why must MTV be anything but Music Television?

 

I am really looking forward to the not-so-distant future when TV networks as we know them just go away.  It is my hope that networks disappear in the wake of video-on-demand (VoD) services.  All of the programming is owned by a handful of companies so why have networks at all (ABC/Disney, CBS/Viacom, NBC/Vivendi, Fox/New's Corp, Turner/Time Warner, Comcast, Scripps, Discovery, etc)?  Rather than watching channels I will just subscribe to shows.  This will allow content publishers to not have to worry about any brand except the brand of the show. 

Fight Night Round 3

Condemned: Criminal Origins

Quake 4

Madden NFL 06

FIFA 06

Kameo Elements of Power

NBA Live 06

Need For Speed Most Wanted

King Kong

The Man (aka BillG) announced at CES this week that there will be an external HD DVD drive available for the Xbox 360 sometime in 2006.   There goes Sony's one big advantage with Blu Ray.  Of course, I think there are some major negatives regarding conusmer adoption with two competing standards, but that rant will have to wait for another day. 

Xbox 360 has been out in the U.S. for about one month now, and that has given me enough time let the initial impressions percolate and come to my own conclusions.

 

Industrial Design – The design of the console is undoubtedly inspired by late model Apple products, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  In fact, I think you could make a compelling argument that this is the slickest looking console in history.  Personally, I would be delighted with a design inspired by a high end home theater PC, but then again I’m not concerned about size or making the console look like a piece of functional art.  It’s cool that the manufacturer is supporting customizable faceplates, but I think the aftermarket graphics kits offer a much greater level of personalization (and cost effective too).  If there is one thing that disappoints in this area, then it is the hefty external power supply and overall noisy fan operation.  Again, this is where I would have been happy with a form factor even larger than the original Xbox (assuming that it could have utilized more efficient cooling techniques and less external components).  On the other hand, I know that Americans tend to view industrial design differently than just about every other market. 

 

Controller – Wireless controllers rule.  No more winding/unwinding cables, no more tripping over cables, no more untangling cables, and possibly best of all, no more getting up off the sofa to turn the console on and off.  The performance of the wireless communication is perfect.  The fit and comfort of the controller is excellent.  It even works with the voice headset.  In my opinion, this is the greatest controller ever made (and it’s worth every penny of the crazy $50 price tag).

 

User Experience – In the last generation, the consoles had a basic UI for managing save games and system settings.  Microsoft took that basic principal and blew it up to Godzilla proportions.  The Xbox Guide features that are available in every game are absolutely genius.  I’m talking about how you can play your own music, check up on what your friends have accomplished and even chat across different games.  Furthermore, the addition of achievements, reputation, and general personalization of your GamerCard is a perfect evolution of the GamerTag concept introduced with Xbox Live.  Speaking of Live, the integration is better than ever.  If there is one caveat to this category, then it is that your enjoyment of the 360 “extras” may be directly proportional to the extent of your toy collection.  If you don’t have an HDTV, surround sound system, broadband internet connection, and a networked Windows PC, then you really aren’t getting all that you can out of this box. 

 

Connectivity – If the device connects via USB, then it probably works with Xbox 360.  You can plug in all sorts of mp3 players, digital cameras, portable storage devices, and even some keyboard/mice combinations.  Furthermore, the console will happily talk to your Windows XP or Media Center PC to stream music, videos, and pictures.  The connectivity is awesome, but not quite perfect.  For instance, there are some pretty big limitations to the video formats that you can play (no DivX or Xvid).  I’m over the fact that you can’t use a keyboard and mouse to play games, but I would really like to see better compatibility with other Windows supported controllers.  Namely, I would really like to see pro-quality steering wheels, flight sticks, and joysticks that can be used across platforms. 

 

Games – Despite much criticism, J Allard has maintained that the 360 launch lineup is the strongest batch of games to ever be released with a console.  Perhaps the statement is a little bold, but in my opinion it is pretty accurate.  A blog on 1up.com puts some objectivity around the issue (through averaged subjectivity of course).  Granted, there’s no “killer app” in the launch lineup, but there doesn’t need to be either.  I would rather see strong games across many categories, than to see just one standout performer at launch.  PGR 3 and Call of Duty 2 could easily be considered “genre kings” even if they are not ground-breaking.  So what if EA and Activision have released lack luster ports of their big franchises.  If you’ve already got Madden, Tiger Woods, and Tony Hawk on Xbox or PS2, then just wait for next year’s iterations to really see what the developers can do with the new hardware.  The greatest innovation by far is the re-launch of Xbox Live Arcade.  I’ve probably logged as many hours in Geometry Wars as I have any full fledged 360 game and that should say something about how cool Live Arcade is and not really how “bad” the launch lineup is.  I like the idea of trying games for free, I like being able to pay a measly $5-$15 per game, and I like to be able to play for 15 minutes or 2 hours at a time.  Live Arcade will be the reason why I’ll play games four or five days a week rather than just one or two.

 

Conclusion – Overall, I give the launch of the Xbox 360 an A-.  On my scale, that is a damn good, and can only be equaled by possibly one or two other console launches in history. 

 

Positives:

-Awesome HD and surround sound experience.

-Excellent connectivity with portable and networked devices.

-Very strong lineup of launch games with many more in the pipeline for the next 3-12 months.

-Best controller ever.

-Xbox Live, GamerCard, Marketplace, and Arcade undoubtedly places Microsoft years ahead of the competition.

-Nearly simultaneous worldwide launch is impressive.

-Now you’re gonna need a lot more toys to really let the 360 live up to its potential.

 

Negatives:

-No killer app (except perhaps Live Arcade).

-Shortages suck.

-Now you’re gonna need a lot more toys to really let the 360 live up to its potential.

Microsoft has just reached an agreement with CableLabs to provide support in Windows Media Center Edition (MCE) for premium cable programming.  This means that you will be able to record digital SD and HD signals with MCE through the use of the CableCARD technology.  Today, MCE can only record analog cable or over-the-air (received via an antenna) HD broadcasts unless you hook up a set-top box with an IR-blaster to change channels.  This announcement couldn't come at a better time as Xbox 360 is preparing to launch next week.  Right out of the box, the 360 can act as a Media Center Extender, essentially "remoting" the MCE experience from your MCE PC to any TV you want to hook up to the 360.  Obviously, the 360 can play games, music, and movies as well.  

 

Why is this important to me?  I absolutely love DVR.  Currently we rent a set-top box from Adelphia which can simultaneously record two HD broadcasts while watching a previously recorded show.  The hard drive can store around 24 hours of HD content which seems to be ample so long as you don't get too far behind on your stories.  The channel guide and the controls are decent.  However, I have to admit that the overall package is not an A+. 

 

For one thing, I want to be able to stream recorded content from one room to another.  Normally I'm parked in front of the DLP in the living room, but sometimes it would be nice to watch recorded shows in the bedroom.  Even if we rented a 2nd set-top box, it would still have to be setup to record its own copy.   MCE allows you to centralize your media on one big PC, and the extender technology allows you to share it throughout your house.

 

Secondly, it would be nice to be able to make a back-up copy of certain programming onto recordable DVD.  I know that there are serious copyright issues to be overcome so that subscribers are not able to just rip movies off of HBO-HD or PPV, but I don't see the harm in recording a couple of episodes of a show that a friend might have missed.  It remains to be seen how constrained the copying abilities will be with DRM (digital rights management), but I'm certain that the functionality offered by a PC will always be more than what you can get from a set-top box.

 

Thirdly, more space is going to be important.  It wasn't too long ago that the most you could hope for was two or three "good" HD channels.  Now, we have the four major networks plus ESPN, Discovery, and a selection of HD only channels.  It won't be long and a dozen more cable networks will be delivered in HD.  Once that happens, 24 hours of content is going to seem paltry if you want to record some longer running programs like sports, movies, and documentaries.  Hard drives are running about $0.50 - $1.00 per gigabyte, so it isn't even out of the question to build a home PC with a terabyte or more of storage.  One terabyte can store 100+ hours of HD programming, and don't forget that you can store music and photos as well.

 

Fourthly, a couple more tuners would be nice so that you can record three or even four shows at once.  At least once a week I find that there are three programs being aired at once that my wife and I must compromise on what to record.  I think MCE can handle up to 3 tuners now, and that number is likely to grow as hardware becomes more powerful.

 

MCE has always had some advantages over the competition, but the lack of native support for premium cable programming has hurt its adoption rate.  With the promised CableCARD support, MCE will likely be the choice for customers wanting the ultimate DVR setup.  I don't expect that it will take the world by storm just yet because the up front cost is still quite high compared to the monthly rental fees offered by the local cable company.  However, I'm looking forward to the migration to MCE in the next year or two for myself.

 

 

 

 

Microsoft has confirmed the initial list of 200+ Xbox 1 games that will be supported on Xbox 360.  You can see the list here.  I thought it would be interesting to see what percentage of my 50+ games will be supported, and to my surprise, only 15 games made the list.  This made me wonder if my collection is really that eclectic, so I went to gamerankings and searched for the top 200 Xbox games by review score.  A little over 50 of those games made the list.   Interesting.

 

Brothers in Arms franchise

Burnout franchise

Doom 3 franchise

ESPN 2k franchise (normally wouldn't matter that much, but with EA monopolizing the licenses...)

MechAssault franchise

MotoGP franchise

Project Gotham Racing franchise

SSX franchise (except SSX 3)

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell franchise

Unreal Championship franchise

 

Now I understand that making BC work is tough.  Each game has to be tweaked and thoroughly tested to work in the emulation engine.  For these reasons, I'm not at all surprised that many good games missed the initial cut.  However, I would be happy to criticize some of the dog poop that did make the list.  For instance, who cares about such titles as Catwoman, Dark Angel, Drake, Gravity Games Bike, and Volvo: Drive for Life?  Seriously, some of these games are the WORST title ever created.  Why even waste the test resources to certify them now? 

 

I'll tell you why.  Crap games are easier to certify than technical wonders such as Doom 3 and Microsoft wanted a big list regardless of the overall quality factor.  It would have made immensely more sense for the consumer to cut 30 crap titles in lieu of one more big franchise such as Splinter Cell or Burnout.   For that matter, you could probably cut another 20 games from the list just by de-prioritizing sports titles.  

 

Luckily, I don't really give a damn about BC because I'm far more interested in playing next gen games on my 360 than playing old Xbox 1 games.  However, I hope that the priority gets shifted over the next year or so because at some point I would like to be able to revisit some "oldies" on Xbox 1 with the enhanced graphic effects and wireless controllers. 

Even though Xbox 360 is set to launch in less than two weeks, Microsoft has been tight lipped on details for backwards compatibility (BC) for Xbox 1 games.  We know that a hard drive is required and that emulation profiles need to be developed and rigorously tested to ensure that games work as intended.  Rumors also surfaced that Xbox 1 games may actually play better on Xbox 360 thanks to the vastly superior hardware.  Obviously the software emulation layer is far from being free performance wise, so it is very likely that mileage will vary from engine to engine and game to game.

 

It is no surprise that the Xbox flagship franchise (Halo) is the first to publicly unveil their support for BC.  You can read about it here, but basically we will get full functionality for Halo 1 and Halo 2 (duh).  The interesting part is that the game will be up-sampled from 640x480 to 1280x720 and feature full screen anti-aliasing (AA).  There is no question that this will make the game look noticeably better on large HDTV screens (notice the lack of "jaggies" in the screenshots).  Since there are no changes to texture maps or geometry, old games will not exactly look new, but perhaps less old.  Hopefully we will find out in the next week or so how extensive the initial list of BC supported games will be.

There are two things that Microsoft did incredibly well with the first Xbox.  First and foremost they delivered the most powerful and feature packed hardware configuration.  Aside from the obviously more powerful GPU and CPU combination, they were willing to stuff a hard drive and network adapter into every console sold. 

 

Secondly, they delivered an online experience which has eclipsed everyone’s expectations.  Sure Xbox Live costs about the same as one new game per year, but the breadth and quality of the features justifies its cost.  Best of all, they built a platform so that every developer, big or small, could leverage all of the common elements: single online identity, friends list, voice chat, downloadable content, and more.  For Xbox 360, they are improving the Xbox Live service even more. 

 

1. Free Silver level membership to all 360 owners will give everyone with broadband connectivity access to the basic features of Live.  This will increase competition in single player leaderboards, give developers more reason to develop downloadable content, and ultimately will grow the Gold level subscription base.
2. Gamerscore will keep track of your offline accomplishments and provides a method of comparing two gamers.  Each game will be able to award a certain number of points based on your achievements.
3. Gamerzone will allow you to specify what type of social group you want to play with (Family, Casual, Pro, etc.).
4. A star-based reputation meter will give you feedback on who makes Live a better place and who is the foul-mouthed, racist, baby who likes to ruin the experience for everyone else.
5. Gamertile will allow you to associate a picture or graphic to compliment your existing Gamertag.
6. The above features roll up into a larger feature named Gamercard.  Ultimately, they will translate into better matchmaking.  Play with those who will give you the greatest enjoyment and avoid the people that will ruin the experience.
7. Xbox Live is platform independent.  I can use the same account for Xbox 1 games as Xbox 360 games.  Someday, PC games will undoubtedly be added to the mix.
8. The number of Xbox Live Arcade games will continue to grow which not only brings “non-gamers” to the table, but also provides an avenue for very small and independent game developers to target the Xbox platform.  Of course, the platform isn’t as open as PC development because Microsoft will still require licensing and certification, but it makes it that much more likely that we will see more original games.
9. Provides a distribution mechanism for game trailers, demos and potentially other video or music content.
10. The Marketplace will allow you to purchase game mods and additional content.

In my mind, Lumines is the only must have title for the Sony PSP.  I've played the game regularly for about 2 months and I still have a lot of challenges to complete.  While I've made my way through all of the 100 levels (then they repeat), I still have lots of "skins" to unlock in the other game modes.  That's a lot of value for $40.

 

Therefore, I have mixed feelings about the title breaking the 500,000 unit mark after 10 months of sales.  I feel sad because it means that only 10% (give or take) of PSP owners have bought this brilliant puzzle game.  On the other hand, selling 500,000 units should be more than enough to guarantee that the brilliant Mizuguchi-san will develop even more puzzle-action-music games.  As it happens, he's already working on Every Extend Extra (E3) which I am eagerly awaiting.  Hopefully Sony will get off their butts and properly market these products going forward.