Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Playstation 4

So with Sony holding a major press conference on Wednesday, which everyone assumes will be the unveiling of Playstation 4; I decided to make a list of the things I would like Sony to include in this conference.  First off, I want them to focus on games and nothing else.  Going after the people that like social media, downloadable content, and Playstation Move is useless because only the hard-core gamers will be the ones watching this conference.  People that actually like those other features will probably wait until the console is well established before buying a PS4.  For now it’s all about the hard-core gamers that only care about playing good games.

With respect towards the games, I want them to launch PS4 no later than November because they can take advantage of the major title games that should release around that time; GTA5, The Last of Us, and Tomb Raider.  If there’s one thing I hate about a new console launch is when the developers promise good games to come, but you have to wait a year for them to release.  By launching around the Fall, they will have quality games to begin with and will give people a reason to buy the system.  This also gives time for games that aren’t quite finished, the time to properly complete such as; Star Wars 1313, Phantom Pain, and The Last Guardian.

While everyone expects Sony to also show next gen graphic games, I would prefer they just stick to the games that have already been mentioned.  Their selling point should be what will release and not what might release one day.  By focusing on the games that have been mentioned, Sony will then be able to just advertise products that people can actually buy.  What Sony needs right now is people buying their products, and not waiting until a certain game releases a year or two from now.  Obliviously they should show something next gen, but it shouldn’t take away from their launch titles.

Other things I would like them to mention in the conference is the price, around $300 to $500 would be ideal.  To have backwards compatibility for at least PS3 games.  While this feature might ruin sales for PS3 consoles, Sony is better off letting that horse die than to keep wasting money on it.  If they do mention downloadable content, it should be for PS1 and PS2 games that cost under $5 to $10.  I think they’re better off selling those games for cheap, than to not sell them at all.  Memory for the new console should be easy to upgrade and if it requires a Sony brand hard drive, it should be affordable to upgrade, so people can get use to downloading content without fear of taking out a bank loan to pay for an upgrade.  These are just some of the expectations I have for Wednesday, and if Sony does deliver most of what I have mentioned, I will be there on release day to buy a new PS4.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Why the video game industry needs piracy


A great debate that is popular among video game enthusiasts is what it takes for a video game console to become the number one seller.  I’m by no means an expert on video games, but the other day I did develop a theory on what it takes.  My reasons are based on the years I have been around friends and peers that are into gaming.  So what does it take for a video game system to become a best seller?  Well I believe it is the unscrupulous opportunity to play pirated games.  It’s almost been a maxim since childhood that all the popular systems are the ones that let individuals play pirated games.

The first system I noticed that allowed people to play pirated games was the NES.  Back in those days kids would own less than 5 video games, and would either play rented games or borrowed games if they wanted to try other titles.  Then when pirated games came along, everyone discovered that you could now own 5 or more games on just one cartridge.  While the NES really didn’t have any competition at the time, pirated cartridges created a culture that made people expect a black market for video games.

After the NES, I owned the Sega Genesis and I never heard about pirated games for that system or the Super NES.  So in a way, both those systems were on an even playing field because none of them had the pirated game advantage as far as I knew.    After those systems Sega, Panasonic, and NeoGeo all released highly advanced consoles, but they never sold well because they were extremely expensive.  As a result, pirated games were never made because no one owned the systems.

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Finally the Rock has won the WWE Championship belt again!

Just Bring It!  What a match.  Sure the Rock wasn't the same young man he was 15 years ago, but he sure brought it to Punk tonight.  I'm happy to see him be champion again!

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Air Jordan V "Fire Red" 2012

I didn't think I would buy another Jordan again, but these were so easy to get I couldn't pass on them.  I just walked into the store and asked for my size and they brought them out.  I guess my luck was based on the aftermath of the Christmas holiday and how broke that left people.  Sneaker collecting is seriously getting crazy with how many different shoes are releasing.  I know when I first started officially collecting, I wanted to buy as many sneakers as possible.  But back then all I cared about was Air Jordan retro’s.  Over time I did grow my collection to include other sneakers, but it was never as crazy as it is now. 
Today there are at least 15 pairs of sneakers a month that I really want.  Obliviously not having the money to buy them is what’s stopping me from getting them.  But at the same time, the need to buy them all has also subsided.  This has been the result of not investing too much time on sneaker websites to find out about the latest releases, and also being a little jaded with seeing the same thing being retroed over and over again.  It’s like once you own the sneaker you have been wanting for years, and then you see it be retroed again in 2-4 years that excitement to get it isn’t there anymore.  So for me, it’s more of a case where I have all the sneakers I wanted as a kid, and I’m happy with what I have and don’t need to look elsewhere.
From this point on if I do get a pair of Air Jordan’s it’s going to be a pair that I don’t already have.  The Air Jordan V white/fire red/black colorway has been a sneaker I have wanted for years, but had passed up on previously because I didn’t like the versions that had released (23 on the side, or patent leather.. gross).  These are probably my favorite Air Jordan's of all time because of how much I wanted them as a kid.  In my opinion the 2013 retro is made pretty well, I really like the quality of leather, and how it was stitched together.  Overall I’m satisfied with this release because it was easy to get, besides the Jumpman on the back it was true to the original, and because the quality was better than previous Jordan Brand retros.
The Air Jordan V fire red 2013 retro was released on January 26th, 2013.  They feature a reflective 3M tongue, a P51 mustang fighter jet shark teeth design on the mid-sole, clear soles (the 2013 featuring a blue tint), and red lace locks. The colors used on these V’s are white, fire red and black, they also came packaged in a retro box.  My pair are deadstock, are a size 10.5, and the style number is 136027-100. 
Air Jordan:
YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0A0ObmtDzQ