In the Method to Madness podcast, I’m joined with my good friend Kevin “The Business” Gray to discuss great anime and video games that you should be watching as well as ones you should feel ashamed you are watching.
This episode, we discuss…
NC State Fair Food
The North Carolina State Fair has just begun, and we are there! The fair is a big deal around these parts; especially the variety of fried foods, limited only by your darkest imagination.
While hyping up this grand event, “The Business” and I converse over high-tech food science, the proper way to make a peanut butter/banana/marshmallow sandwich, and the history of Nascar. Also, bunny barns.
At the Gamescom convention yesterday, Sony officially announced–I hope you’re sitting down for this, kids–that they will be releasing a PS3 Slim model, due out in September. What a shock. You could have knocked me over with a feather.
Sony has proven that they’re terrible at keeping secrets. Rumors of a slim model emerged as early as this past February, as reported by T3. Sony denied any such plans. Then in May, photos leaked out of the PS3 Slim in production, including what became proven to be its packaged design. Sony continued to deny it, even though many publications that posted the photos were sent cease & desist letters from the Taiwanese factory’s lawyers.
With the evidence mounting, everyone hoped to see the PS3 Slim appear at this year’s E3. It remained absent, but we were introduced to Sony’s other worst-kept secret, the PSP-Go. After hearing tips from developers and a slip of the tongue during an episode of 1UP’s @1UP podcast, and a leaked video displaying the new design, it was hard to deny its existence. Sony denied away… That is, until its official debut at E3.
PSP Go Artist's Concept (aka, 'Wow, that's a really good guess!')
This rained doubt over whether or not what we’d been seeing about the PS3 Slim was a hoax afterall. But as a close industry insider predicted, Sony was holding off just a little longer before unveiling the new design. His explanation made sense: Sony wanted to liquidate existing stock of current versions of the PS3 in order to make room on store shelves for the Slim. If people knew too soon about a newer, potentially cheaper model, those in the market for a PS3 might hold off until its release, leaving older PS3 models to collect dust in inventory.
I understand the method to this madness, but there are wiser ways to handle the situation. Sony’s method of denial may save some sales in the short-term, but in the long run it does damage to their already-struggling reputation. They remind me of Muhammad Saeed al-Sahhaf, Iraq’s Information Minister during the 2003 invasion. The man denied that America had any presence in Iraq, even as soldiers and tanks could be seen behind him.
If you can keep your secrets secure, then congratulations on a successful plan. But once the cat’s out of the bag, you have to alter your strategy. Accept that what we’ve seen/heard is true, correct whatever mistakes were made to prevent future leaks, and come up with a new incentive for consumers to buy up your old stock.
It’s long been my hope to get my own PS3 sometime this year (I’ve already picked up Street Fighter IV). I’m happy to have my first PS3 be the sexy new Slim model. But what’s bringing that dream closer to reality is the price cut. Current models of PS3 have already been reduced in price, with the Slim debuting at $299. Despite months of cries from developers, Sony not just denied, but flat out refused to budge on the PS3’s high price points.
Twitter was down for a few hours earlier today, crippling the world of online single-serving exhibitionism.
I use Twitter myself and I’ve been meaning to use it more often. Though I’ve come to realize that there are really three types of people who use Twitter: People with a genuine passion for writing and journalism. Douchebags with the impulse to narrate every single beat of their mundane lives. And sheeple that sign up because they saw Twitter mentioned on TV but have no idea how to actually use it.
This being the case, I endorse the idea illustrated in the video below. Some people just don’t belong on Twitter and are a waste of bandwidth. Twitter–like blogs–is for people who have something to say. If you really don’t have anything significant to say, you don’t need Twitter.
“Wise men speak because they have something to say. Fools speak because they have to say something.” -Plato
I had my first video recording session for the documentary I’ve been asked to participate in. It went okay, I guess. It was fun to do, sure… In fact it was very similar to how Matt and I conducted an episode of our Alpha Counter radio show. Heh, technical hurdles and all.
The big thing that the director later discussed with me was that during the entire thing, I had plenty of interesting things to say, but I didn’t offer much visually. He’s right–I kinda stayed in “business mode” the whole time, approaching each question clinically with little animation. Not good cinema.
With that feedback, I’m reviewing my positions on the subject and digging up some relevant personal stories. I think that if I engage the thing like a conversation rather than an interview, I’ll give a more lively performance.
I’m quite certain that I’ll have another shot at recording the material covered today since the video files came out painfully choppy. So unless the co-director is the Gandalf of video editing, we’re going to have to use a different method of getting usable footage.
The guys are still looking for people to contribute to the film, so if you have any expertise or notable experience in dealing with video game addiction or side-effects of a techy lifestyle, contact them through the link I posted above.
So yet another reason why I’ve been slacking with updates is because the hard drive on my desktop PC blew earlier this week. Luckily I had an extra drive that I wasn’t using, so it saved me from having to shop around for a replacement. I might still buy some kind of external drive to use for routine back-ups, but it’ll be a while before I really have to worry about that.
Starting up a brand new computer or just reinstalling your current one has a similar feeling to hooking up with a new girlfriend… You begin to tell yourself, “I’m going to treat this one better!” This time, I’m going to take a more professional approach to my PC than I have in the past. I’m not going to fill it with stupid junk that I won’t need. I’ve reinstalled the essentials, but I doubt I’ll install any other software until I know that I’ll need it. And playing with settings and tweaks are plenty to keep me busy in the meantime.
Oh, you know I still do! It’s one of the few material possessions I have that I intend to be buried with. Sega of Japan has just launched a strange campaign on their Dreamcast site. They’re asking for people to register their Dreamcast serial numbers through the site…for some mysterious purpose. So far, it seems that by registering, all you get is signed up for an email service.
I know I tend to be paranoid, but this is suspicious to me. Many speculate (and I personally agree) that this is most likely a data-collecting campaign, designed to see how many of the consoles are still in possession of consumers. If there are still plenty of units out there being used, then that means that there’s some kind of market for it. Perhaps a new interest in producing software? Or maybe a revival of the console’s production in some form? We can only watch…and pray.
According to several science professors, video game consoles are being seen as an affordable alternative to more conventional supercomputers. It’s no mystery that the entertainment industry is the leading drive in the advancement of computer technology, specifically in the field of producing the highest-quality computer-generated graphics. Many professors claim that by reconfiguring the console’s processors that are usually used for generating such graphics, it can be used to run complex calculations for other purposes.
“A single high-precision simulation can sometimes cost more than 5,000 hours on the TeraGrid supercomputers. For the same cost, you can build your own supercomputer using PS3s. It works just as well, has no long wait times and can be used over and over again, indefinitely.”
This concept is hardly new in that over eight years ago, fear was spread that the then-new PlayStation2 might be used to control missile strikes. Luckily, that theory has since been supposedly debunked, but it’s hardly impossible. Just think, the PS2 could had a historic part in 9/11 or other heinous terrorist plots.
That silliness aside, it’s always fascinating to see engineers at work, turning what we’d consider little more than a toy into a fantastic tool. Just a couple months ago, geeks all over fell enamored with the various projects that Johnny Lee has cranked out using the Wii. It’s comforting to know that while thousands of people who own a PS3 are least likely to cure cancer, there are one or two that just might.
GameTap continues it’s series of articles covering the last survivors of the arcade scene, this time focusing on San Jose’s Keystone II. Though the establishment isn’t so much an arcade in the classic sense, but rather a very private club. That being understandable since, it’s not you’re typical public venue, it’s in the owner’s house.
As more geeks come into money these days, we’ve been seeing many investing into bringing the arcade environments of their youth into their homes. Whether it be something as simple as building a custom MAME cabinet, to building your own private arcade room. This is rarely seen (at least done well) since one must not only have the passion and the funds to acquire the necessary hardware, but also enough craft to build and repair the cabinets themselves.
Another such room that’s been recently received spotlight is Peter Hirschberg’s Luna City Arcade, built in his home in Linden, VA. Unlike Keystone II (which focuses primarily on fighting games), Luna City Arcade hosts a collection of every classic title you’d expect from a 1980’s arcade. Hirschberg has gone to great lengths to not only maintain these vintage machines, but also to recreate the arcade-style atmosphere. The room is kept dark to help contrast with the machine’s video screens, but is illuminated with black lights and neon signs to bathe any who walks within it’s walls with token-popping nostalgia.
I’ve often fantasized about owning at least one arcade machine in my adulthood. At this moment, I’ve had a couple opportunities for some great deals, but so far I’ve passed on them. While I still plan to own one some day, it’s just not practical for me just yet. In the meantime, I do consider how I might configure my set up… Of course I’d prefer to obtain an original machine of my favorite games. Some (like the Capcom fighting games of the 1990’s) use JAMMA hardware, which allow you to swap out a cartridge inside a single cabinet. Though it might turn out to be more economical to convert an arcade cabinet into one that runs off of MAME.
In either case, which style of case do I choose? I suppose I’d be content with the classic boxy-looking cabinet that we’re all familiar with. Though the Japanese head-to-head “candy” style machines let you sit down and give you and your opponent plenty of elbow room. Multi-player games do tend to get crowded. In fact, someone recently designed a home-made version, using state-of-the-art audio/video equipment…which is super-sexy.
No, I don’t think I’d be satisfied with that arrangement. I prefer to stand side-by-side to my opponent so that we’re both viewing the game from the same screen. If for nothing else but to point to it after around and enthusiastically cry, “Did you see that?” So I think that I’d ideally set my sights on the sweet pedestal-style arcade cabinet. Only like the guys from the previous paragraph, I’d update it with the best possible A/V equipment. Including a 42″ LCD or plasma screen, stereo speakers with sub-woofer, and a couple drink-holders for a touch of class.
