GamersRun

I’ve been holding back in writing this article for almost a year now. As an old school gamer, I’m clinging to the past and couldn’t let go of the tangible greatness of dedicated gaming devices such as the Sony PSP and Nintendo DS. But reading about the specs, software and applications of tablets like the iPad2, Xoom, Galaxy and Playbook, I have to confess that I believe the days of the PSP and DS are numbered. This is not because of the technology they offer. It’s the fact that I can get the gaming goodies and multiplayer functionalities without forking out $20 to $40 for a new game. Let’s face it. Tablets are no longer a fad as they were in the early 90′s and 2000′s. Software development is on the rise, chips and hardware are less expensive and the consumer acceptance is high.

As a parent, I’d rather spend $500 on a tablet that my kids can do homework, research and play free games than spending the same amount on a PSP2 that, for the most part, can do one or two things. I don’t need to do a mass scientific study to see that tablets are having an impact on untapped markets. I often watch my 66 year old mother play games with my 60 year old uncle, 40 year old brother, my cousins and their kids using their iPhones, iTouches and iPads. They all live in different parts of the state. Fun and entertainment are what gaming is all about and these tablets are delivering the experience. The technology is transparent. The interface is amazingly intuitive.  The price is affordable.

Thanks to game engines from companies such as Epic Games and id Software, new iPhone and iPad games look amazing and this is just the beginning.  I can only imagine how game developer like John Carmack will exploit new tablet technologies.  All you have to do is look and play Rage HD or Infinity Blade on the iPhone and iPad to see what I’m talking about.

Tablets seem to also hit the pause and refresh button in the gaming market. What does it mean when a $6 2D game with birds, sticks and blocks get more interest and hype that a massive 3D online multiplayer videogame with superheroes that cost $60 plus monthly fees? I have a feeling that current game publishers are realizing that they don’t have to spend millions in developing a game to make money on these new “gaming devices.” Let’s not kid ourselves. This is the secondary function of most tablets and other iDevices.

The bottomline is the bottomline. Why spend money on separate devices for fun, productivity and practically when you can get them all in one. Am I off base here? What’s your perspective on the future of portable gaming?

I’m always in search for something cutting edge, useful and entertaining. Guess what? I found one and it’s based right in the my backyard, San Francisco Bay Area. I love how creator Ean Golden use arcade buttons and integrated it with creative music performance. Their site has a how-to section to create your own. I’m about to open up one of my PS3 controllers to make one. I’ll keep you updated. As a gamer and a wannabe DJ, the Midi Fighter from DJtechtools.com is right up my alley. Check out the video:

One of my hobbies is listening to DJ mixes. I love learning about new sound technologies and how creative DJ’s are using it. And yes, I also like DJ Hero 2. (review to follow) I ran into this video today and made me think that this could be the future of DJing as well as video gaming… maybe Check it out and let me know what you think.

While the recent announcement of the NGP/PSP2 is attention-grabbing in the gaming scene, the announcement of the Playstation Suite secures Sony’s spot in the future of the videogame industry. Sony realized that the key to grabbing the lead and sustaining it is to leverage original Playstation content across different gaming platforms. With Playstaiton Suite, casual and hardcore gamers can access Playstation games on smart phones, tablet PC’s running the Android OS and of course, portable gaming devices like the PSP via the Playstaton Store. Essestially, the PS store is to become the Apple Store of video gaming. With this concept, Sony also eliminated the age of their technology and hardware as a factor. On the revenue end, Sony just extended the life of Playstation and PSP games for another five, if not, ten years as the games get new life and fans in the new platforms.

I can also see Sony grabbing huge chunks of revenue from Apple’s music and movie offerings. This concept and potential for growth make my head swell. In some ways, the Playstation Suite is like a Trojan Horse pretending to only offer games to the unsuspecting masses. As most PS3 gamers and users know, the Playstation store offers more than just games. The PS store also contains videos and movies.  The PS Suite can easily add music to the mix. OK. Now. Think. Sony already has a rabbid and savvy base of followers.  Sony also has a pretty good reputation when it comes to cool hardware, technology and content. With the Playstation Suite, all this becomes accesible to millions of new users across several portable platforms. Tell me this is not huge.

It was a beautiful, sunny Thursday in the San Francisco Bay Area.  But rather than doing yard work and house chores, I decided to take up Sega on their invitation to see the latest on Conduit 2, a first person shooter for the Wii.  As expected, I got lost.  I hate roundabouts.  Of course, there was one near the Sega HQ.  After scanning all the free street parking spots, I had to bite the bullet and pay for a $8 parking spot near the Sega building; another reason I hate driving to SF.

The Sega reception area was nice and quaint; not what I was expecting from the once mighty gaming giant.  But I was there to check out Conduit 2; not admire interior design.  I was given my obligatory name sticker and was ushered in one of the rooms.

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This picture represents my home in a couple days time. So while I’m glad to be going on a well deserved vacation, I don’t look forward to the long and boring 14+ hour flight. I personally have a hard time sleeping on planes. Then again, most people will have trouble sleeping in those seats! (These are Cathay Pacific’s coach class seats on B747s if you’re wondering). Having done quite a few long haul trips in the last few years, here are some random tips and tricks to getting the most out of your trip plus some of things I’ll be bringing with me to survive this upcoming trip:

•Bring chili pepper flakes. Airline food usually doesn’t have a whole lot of flavor when the cabin pressure altitude is something around 8000 feet. Note that this only applies to international flights. Most US domestics don’t serve food.
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With all the new titles and demos about to hit the PS3, I’ve decided to embark in what seems to be a painless proposition.  I read several how-to articles and viewed some Youtube videos and thought to myself: I can do this. Technically, it was easy: buy new hard drive, backup old files, replace old drive.

I love how most of these boneheaded articles omitted the biggest element; you’ll need to have a spare external hard drive that is formatted to FAT32 to make this process simple. Depending on how much you have stored in your hard drive, this simple process could take two to three hours. I had 35GB of files and it took 3 hours using an external drive.
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