mip's scan

May the Force Be With You....And Your Wii

I know I don't typically write about things until I've had a chance to test them out, let alone reviewing video games.  But as I sat here this evening reading various tech things, an interesting article came across my screen that has made me giddy.  Seems like in the spring of 2008 I'll be able to wield my Wii Remote as nothing less than a lightsaber!

LucasArts today revealed that Star Wars™: The Force Unleashed™ will come to the Wii™ home videogame system from Nintendo next spring, offering owners the unique chance to live out their Jedi fantasies by wielding the Wii Remote™ as a lightsaber while using the Nunchuk™ controller to torment foes with their Force™ powers.

Oh baby.  What person who grew up with Star Wars hasn't imagined the day when they could hear the hum of a lightsaber that they were controlling.  This type of game is what the Wii was made for!  Done right, this should be an awesome game to play!

Will Sony Get Out of Gaming?

As I sit here this Saturday morning, a sad thought comes to mind:  should Sony get out video gaming....or perhaps better put....will Sony have to get out of the video game business?  I've had these thoughts before, leading up to the launch of the PS3 and then again after it launched.  Perhaps Sony should get out of the video game hardware business and just focus on the titles?  Perhaps they should spin the gaming arm completely out of Sony?  Perhaps they should just forget gaming all together?   

This morning these thoughts have come back to me after I read this article in Forbes about layoffs happening in the video game division of Sony.

Sony's computer entertainment unit, responsible for the company's PlayStation gaming consoles, has laid off nearly 100 of its 1,600 U.S. employees, located mostly at its U.S. headquarters in Foster City, Calif.

I've always been a big fan of Sony.  Loved the PS2. Love the PSP.  But something within the company seems to be hampering their thinking on evolving the video game market beyond just more powerful concepts and better looking graphics.  In my opinion, the time, effort and money poured into the PS3 could ultimately be Sony's undoing and bring about any number of the scenarios I wrote about in the opening of this post.

The thing that could pull the PS3 out of its third place rank behind Microsoft and Nintendo's runaway hit Wii, would be the BluRay player.  The format is showing signs of strengthening against the HD format with companies like Blockbuster deciding they would only carry the BluRay format and not HD for their movie rentals.  If that happens, then perhaps the PS3 will gain ground and Sony can stay in the game, but I wouldn't count on it. 

Wii + Mac = What Could Be Better?

I love it when two of my favourite technologies comes together.  This will be of interest you readers who have both a Mac and a Nintendo Wii.  It'll be especially of interest if you don't have an Apple TV. 

I tried out to great satisfaction a little piece of software called Wii Transfer.  You can get all kinds of info here, but in short:

Share music and pictures to your Wii over local network.

• Works with MP3s or unprotected AAC files, including iTunes Plus — new in version 2.3.

• iTunes playlist support and browsing by album.

• Preferences for picture sharing transitions and image duration.

• Show album cover artwork in the music sharing interface.

• Convert movies for playing in Wii's Photo Channel.

• Copy movies to SD card automatically if connected.

• Browse and convert iTunes video podcasts from within Wii Transfer.

• AppleScript support for automated conversions.

• Backup saved game files to your Mac automatically.

You can also see a video demonstration here.

Definitely a cool little app if you have both the Wii and a Mac.

New Channel for the Wii

I haven't written a lot about the Wii since it "officially" became a part of our home at Christmas.  It continues to delight everyone in our home.  For me, it does too, but also, it intrigues me what they are doing with their Channels.  First there was the Weather channel, then an Internet channel that basically gave us a browser for surfing (more on this in a later post), then the innovative New channel.  And now a new channel that allows registered Mii's (those are the avatars we create on the Wii) participate in voting on questions.  It is intriguing and I have to think about what it all means.  In the meantime, watch the video below so you know what the heck I'm talking about. 

The Business of Video Gaming

I wrote and podcasted last week a lot about video gaming because of the recent launch of the Sony PS3 and the Nintendo Wii. It sparked a lot of really interesting conversations here. I also got a ton of email, especially from one person who emailed me nearly 30 times with comments, links to other articles, rants and hyperbole all focused on why the Nintendo Wii sucked and would be a flop.

So..the real question is...was the launch of the Wii a flop? Hmmm...well, what do you think? 600,000 units sold in 8 days? And it isn't just the consoles that are selling well. Zelda, for example has sold 454,000 copies in the same time period. Nintendo has confirmed that they will ship 4 million units before the end of the year. That is fantastic, especially against the PS3 that will sell far less due to their shortage issues and now lukewarm reception in the market. So you see, fun does translate into good business for Nintendo.

To read more on this just click here.

OK - Here "Wii" Go - Part Two

Well it seems that yesterday's part one post of my Wii experience has generated a considerable amount of chatter.  Thanks to everyone who commented.  It always amazes me who intensely passionate people are when it comes to politics, religion, Macs and video gaming. 

But I digress....on to the Part II

From yesterday's post you know that I did indeed walk out Sunday morning with a Wii in hand.  Yesterday somebody posted a comment asking about the graphics, wanting to know about the gaming experience itself.  Others talked about the motivation behind purchasing a console is ultimately to play games you enjoy.  So today let's look at the Wii experience once it reached home.

First, this is a Christmas present for my children, so I couldn't just set it up as soon as I arrived home.  I had to wait till the evening, carefully unpack the unit and set it up once  they were off to bed (and then re-pack it all up again).

One of the first things you note is how small the unit is.   I could see from the store how much bigger the PS3 box was in comparison to the Wii box.  The until itself is smaller than my PS2.  You have the option of laying the Wii down flat or upright in a stand that is provided inside the box. What else is inside the box.  You get the two part controller, the Wii remote and the Wii Nanchuk.  I hadn't realized prior to purchasing the Wii that these units attach together when needed and that some games only employ/require the Wii remote.  You also get a sensor bar that needs to be placed above or below the TV. Standard power and video cables.  The Wii Sports game.  Setting the whole thing up took about 5 minutes.

OK - Here "Wii" Go - Part One

So early Sunday morning, I got into my little car and drove about 20 minutes north of where I live.  I live out in the country, and my 20 minute trek brought me to the small town of Orangeville, Ontario.  Destination?  Walmart.  Reason.  Nintendo Wii.

As I chatted about before both in my blog and podcast, my strategy was to go to a smaller town that had a Walmart and try and get a Wii.  I arrived at 6:30 in the morning.  There were about 20 people milling about it seemed. As I approached I heard people saying "You have to get a ticket, if there are any left."  I asked "How many units?"  The response was "Thirty."  So I lined up behind 3 other people waiting to get tickets.  The fellow wearing the Walmart blue smock came out and started handing out tickets. 

Would I get one or not?

Another Great Wii Video

My wife and I were talking last night about the interesting types of games that can be and will be released for the Nintendo Wii. She doesn't like games with violence, especially for the kids. So when I came across this video, it drove home a couple of things. One, Nintendo is redefining gaming and reaching out to a broader, previously untapped market (like my wife for instance), two, Nintendo is clearly looking to innovate on the gaming experience, and three, Nintendo is putting that fun back into games that today's consoles seem to have forgotten with their obsessive focus on making things look more real rather than more fun.

To check out the video, click here.

Wii Want to Play

With the Nintendo Wii just a few days away (Sunday, November 19th), I'm getting somewhat excited at the prospect of picking up this innovative gaming system...for my children...of course.

That said, I came across this great commercial that is going to air.  It shows the various innovative aspects of the Wii...but even better, check out what the guys from Nintendo are driving.

Let's Talk About Second Life

I started using Second Life about 7 months ago.  I often wanted to blog about it but always get stuck with the question of actually getting people to (a) understand what it is and (b) to focus on what the point is.  I showed my wife a long while back and she asked "Is it a game?"  I told her, "Not really, well, kind of...it depends...it's whatever you want it to be really."   I was however hard pressed to formulate some thoughts to discuss here on my blog.  Where really was Second Life going?  What is the potential of this type of online virtual space?  Well I came across this video (see below) on YouTube and it is thought provoking.  Watch it.  Let me know what you think?  Then I'll formulate some thoughts in another post over the next few days.