Vidgamer's View

Nintendo Wii, revisited

2008-12-11T15:32:00.003-05:00

Since I made the prior posts about Nintendo's upcoming success, I had no idea how successful Nintendo's Wii would become. I do pride myself a bit in believing that it would be successful, when the industry seemed ready to write it off, but it has since exceeded most people's expectations.

This writer has put together a good set of article explaining some of the business strategies that are behind the design of the Wii, and helping to explain its success:
Disruption Chronicles.

I found these articles interesting from both the commentary about the current console generation, as well as the larger theory of business strategy. I think most people are familiar with how different technology can change the playing field, like the transistor. But it's not just that the technology was new, it was inferior, and yet so much cheaper. It only has to be Good Enough. I think Good Enough is something people constantly lose sight of. We think we need the fastest cars, or the biggest cars, not just one that is Good Enough.

It is interesting to read complaints from people on the Internet that the Wii is not "hardcore", when, in some ways, it is the most hardcore of all of the current gaming systems. It is not distracted by the ability to play movies, its ability to get on the 'net is second rate, it can play some media files, but it has its limitations... Playing games appears to be its primary focus... and at a lower price-point. It's main problem with many gamers is that it doesn't have the types of games that they are interested in.

Mind you, I like the extra features of the other consoles -- higher res displays, playing movies, etc., but it does cost extra for these features to be included. Nintendo was able to bring the game-playing experience home for less. And then there was that cool controller. The result is a system that is more accessible to more people. If you take one of the other systems and add a $150 driving wheel, that is the niche market (or at least should be). A market that I may be part of as well, but that does not lessen the fact that Wii is able to bring gameplay that is Good Enough to more people.

The main negative I have with the Wii is that so many games seem to make inadequate use of the motion controls, and some of the games seem too substandard, perhaps in an attempt to gain a quick sale. You can get crummy games on any system, but the Wii seems to be attracting quite a few. Keep in mind, though, that some games that are being called poor are actually good, at least considering the target audience. How many of us liked Tetris, and yet simple games like that are being called inferior "casual" games by the "hardcore" gamers. It's a different type of game, but whether or not you like it is personal preference. The Wii is short on really good driving simulations or First Person Shooter (FPS) games, for example, so I don't think it's unreasonable to say that the Wii is heavy towards "casual" games and light in other categories.

I think if you're truly a hardcore gamer, you'll need both the Wii and at least one of the other systems.

Free surround sound?

2007-01-03T21:23:00.000-05:00

There is a long-known technique for creating a matrix soundfield with just a 2 channel amp. It's called a "Hafler circuit".

One of the things I've been doing for years is wiring rear speakers in my car so that they just play the "surround-sound" or ambiance information. I think it's just personal taste whether or not it's worth the bother, but I think it adds a bit of "space" to the closed-in environment.

This technique these days has more application in a customized car system than in the home, in my opinion. But, if you have an old-fashioned beefy amp, it might be worth looking into.

'70's technology at work. :-)

Nintendo's Wii

2006-12-15T22:41:00.000-05:00

A lot of time has passed since I posted the comments that hinted at Nintendo's direction. They've taken a unique approach, concentrating on the unique controller and only modestly upgrading the graphics. They claim that this is enabling them to concentrate on the games. In reality, I wonder if it just wasn't practical to compete. How would a 3rd console compare if it were also $500 or so and had graphics and CPU power about as good as the other console? It would probably be lost in the shuffle, and still not quite as good, since Nintendo is lacking some of the technology of Microsoft and Sony. They pretty much had to take the low end; even so, they made a pretty nice machine. They could have made an even cheaper, more basic, design, if they chose.

What is amazing about the Wii is the controller. It really does work. It will take a long time for other companies to deliver similar functionality, and it'll be obvious if they're copying Nintendo.

I think their strategy might just work. This is a great machine for the more casual player, and is pretty fun, even if just to watch others swing their arms around like crazy. We'll have to see if it's still fun months down the road, but for now, it looks like a winner!

On the other hand, I can see where hard-core gamers are going to be disappointed. It's not HD, the graphics aren't as detailed as the other systems, etc. But, the graphics are still really good, and better than the last generation (if not by a whole lot). And if you don't have an HDTV yet, it's probably a non-issue.

Configuring Linksys Router a different way

2006-11-20T15:32:00.000-05:00

Picture the scene. You get a nice shiny new Linksys router, and try to follow the instructions, and it doesn't take long before they are suggesting changing your DSL modem settings. What gives?

Here's what they are trying to do -- make it so that only one machine on your network creates IP addresses for your network. I imagine it's a hair faster to do that than to have both machines doing the same job, translating the IP on the routed packets.

The Problem

However, what happens if your router dies or otherwise is removed? Now you have to recall what you did to your DSL modem and redo it. Not too hard, but you might not be the person sitting at the computer performing this operation.

On one setup, I wasn't able to get the recommended changes to work at all! Then, I had no choice -- I had to set up the Linksys router to work with my existing DSL modem's setup.

Another disadvantage is that if you hook it up the recommended way, you can no longer log into your modem directly via a web interface. If you need to adjust something on the modem, you'll need to unplug the LAN connector from the router and plug it directly into a computer.

The Solution

The DSL modem is already configured to act as a DHCP server and hand out a new IP address to your computer when needed. The actual IP address that is seen on the internet is probably completely different than what your computer is using locally.

The router is designed to do the same thing. I wanted to set it up so that the router got the IP address from the modem, then the router creates temporary IP addresses for the rest of my home network (which includes wireless devices).

The trick to getting this to work is to put the router on a different subnet. So, when configuring the router, I needed to force it to a IP address that didn't interfere with the modem: 192.168.2.1.

That's it, as far as what differs from the normal router setup -- everything works great! And if I need to pull the router out of the loop, I don't need to mess with the modem. The only downside is that it might be affect performance slightly, but if it has, I cannot tell the difference.

Playing the classics. [games]

2006-02-10T20:18:00.000-05:00

In recent months, I picked up a bunch of classic compilations for the PS2. I know some of these collections are on other consoles, but the PS2 seems to get everything, so I think I'm going to make my PS2 the go-to machine for playing the classics. :-)

Taito Legends -- great compilation! Good number of games (29), and a few that I really like, making it worthwhile. Many people will get it for Space Invaders, but I like Super Qix, Phoenix, Bubble Bobble, and it's always fun to try the others just to see what they were like.

Sega Classics Collection -- Just 10 games (I think). I have heard that some people hate this game because they re-did/updated the graphics. Well, it still looks like old-school! I don't know what they fixed up. Well, Monaco GP gives you the option of classic style or "original" (which means "updated" in this case, and not what I would generally think of when I hear the word "original").

Capcom Classics Collection -- This is still in the shrink wrap. Yet another Street Fighter II release, along with various games, most of which I'm not familiar with. I think 1942 and Ghouls 'n Ghosts will be the most popular.... (I already have SF II in one or two other releases! Ugh.)

Midway Arcade Treasures 3 -- Various arcade racing games. I expect to play this mostly for San Francisco Rush 2049. Mine is still unopened.

Three out of the 4 above I picked up for $15. I think they're all $20 retail.

Underworld Evolution [movies]

2006-01-30T22:12:00.000-05:00

We saw Underworld Evolution. I heard a review by a critic who just panned it; he said that it wasn't as good as the original. Well, it wasn't, but it is still worth seeing. I'd compare the 2nd one more to Blade -- higher on the gore factor than actual storyline. The first one wasn't perfect, but it seemed a lot more clever.

I liked how we got some continuation of the storyline from the first film, and see a bit more of their secrets. There is less in this film about the societies and personalities, and a lot more monster mayhem.

Interviews with some info. on the direction of the new videogaming systems. [games]

2005-05-20T00:34:00.000-04:00

IGN's Shigeru Miyamoto (Nintendo) interview.

...why is the home console necessary? What functions in a home console would make everyone in the family say, "Yeah, we need that and want that."

As a software developer, this attitude appeals to me. The bottom line should be to solve the client's issues first. In this case, it's make a good gaming experience; if you can do that with less-expensive hardware, then you have a business advantage.

Engadget's interview with Steve Ballmer (Microsoft).

... But we’re going to out perform Sony in a lot of things. We’re faster on integer than they are, they’re faster on floating point than we are.

New gaming systems, and the mystery [games]

2005-05-19T11:51:00.000-04:00

Ok, you can find the announcements of the new videogame systems on all sorts of gaming-related sites all over the 'net. Even the newspaper had photos of the Xbox 360, which will be released first, this year. The other two competitors (PS3 and Nintendo's Revolution) will be released next year.

What I find interesting is that Nintendo won't show what it's controllers look like. They claim that they are going to have something unique. I've read some speculation that maybe it has a touch-pad, or maybe it is a wireless gaming system! I think those ideas are pretty rediculous, as to do a good job of that, it'd be too expensive. Plus, you don't want to be pushing TOO much data between the controller and main unit if you're going to be wireless.

No, think of the name "Revolution". I think it'll have some sort of built-in steering wheel control, like a rotary controller. OK, you've heard it here first. :-) I think since the Atari days, gaming companies gave up on the paddle type controller for the most part, except for these expensive steering wheels. I think a small rotary controller, particularly if you could give it some force-feedback, would be great!

Between that and playing your old games, it sounds like a must-buy.

Racing on the GBA [games]

2005-04-17T15:10:00.000-04:00

I have been waiting for a really good racing game for the Gameboy Advance. Now with the release of Nintendo's Gameboy DS and Sony's PSP, it would seem that I should give up hope, that the age of the GBA might be over... or is it?

Sometimes a system's best games become available after companies have spent years developing on it, and near the end of its life-cycle.

I just purchased Need For Speed Porsche Unleashed, and it has a pretty good 3D effect! (If you remember the 3DO, the graphics look similar in that the 3D is not as accurate as that in later machines.) The graphics look pretty good for the GBA. There's no comparison between this and the newer (and more expensive) handhelds, but this is real 3D!

As far as gameplay, I have not used it enough to pass judgement. Seems more "arcade" than "simulation", but the tracks seem to be surprisingly long!

I have read that Need for Speed: Underground uses the same 3D engine, so that may also be worth looking into.

Old Arcade compilations [games]

2005-03-24T22:29:00.000-05:00

One of the best things about arcade machines is that you not only have state of the art graphics, etc., but also have unique and quality controllers. In the old days, a lot of games came with trackballs or rotating controllers. Now we can play the old games at home, but why don't we have the fun controllers?

I do have a trackball from the Playstation 1 days, but most of the emulated old arcade games on the Playstation 2 do not support it.

Atari Anthology is one such compilation. Still, it's worth having, as it probably has games I don't already have on earlier compilations. But it looks like I need to hang on to those PS1 discs, so that I can play certain games with the controller that the game was designed for -- or at least one that is better suited to the game!

More on needing creative ideas more than CPU power in videogames [games]

2005-03-15T22:11:00.000-05:00

He ... proposed that we focus on making software richer instead of trying to design the next-generation console.

Games Developer Conference speech

Some of his views are a bit peculiar. For instance, I think there is a place for art, but he seems very unsure! But, he is another voice that suggests that games are limited by creative ideas more than raw processing power.

Even the weakest of the current generation, the PS2, looks pretty good with some of the latest games, such as Gran Turismo 4.

Voting [politics]

2004-11-02T22:41:00.000-05:00

I keep having this creepy feeling like if they can have "early voting", maybe they'll start having "late voting", where you can vote after election day. ;-)

I'm just glad that the voting season is over! Let's hope that counting the votes isn't a mess.

Hot rods [tv]

2004-09-09T01:10:00.000-04:00

For some reason, I have really enjoyed these shows where they're fixing up people's cars, not just to restore them, but to put in all sorts of crazy but wonderful modifications. Namely, Overhaulin', Pimp My Ride, and Rides. I suppose you could also throw in Monster Garage and American Chopper too.

Mind you, I don't really want to do any of these crazy things to my car (I'm mostly content filddling and adjusting my car audio system), but I'm fascinated with the extent to which people will go to make something unique. Is it a form of art on wheels? I don't think anyone's gone that far, but it sure takes some creative ideas. Great craftsmanship.

Removing overtime pay [politics]

2004-08-02T23:36:00.000-04:00

Lest I be accused of being all one-sided in my political views, I have to say that I don't think the Bush administration is going to win a lot of support by reducing overtime pay for some workers. My thought when I first heard about the proposal was that the intention was that managers and higher paid workers would have the overtime bonus requirement removed. According to some web sites, a company could just change just about any worker's title to something that sounds professional, and they'd have their overtime pay cut too. As with most things, the truth is probably somewhere inbetween.

Meanwhile, it sounds like it is vague as to exactly which jobs will have their pay cut. Nurses are particularly affected, since there is a nursing shortage, and it's not always the nurse's choice as to whether or not to work overtime. In other words, if a company is going to strongly encourage you to work overtime, I don't think it's too much to ask to get paid for the extra effort.

In theory, the goverment shouldn't need to force a company to pay time-and-a-half, or any amount. After all, the worker and boss can negotiate for what the pay should be. But in practice, some regulation may be needed, if for no other reason than we are not living in a world with perfect level playing fields. Overtime pay isn't such a huge violation of capitalism in my mind as the French ruling to limit workers to 35 hours a week. If someone wants to work extra hours, I think they should be allowed! It's not as if it would be all the time either; there may be emergency situations where it is worthwhile for not just the company, but the general public. (It's unclear how many people were harmed by their restriction, but a quick search will turn up articles [click here for example] that are rather disturbing.)

WMDs [politics]

2004-07-20T23:33:00.000-04:00

Ok, supposedly WMDs have not been found in Iraq (if you ignore the artillery shells that contained sarin and the mobile factory-truck), but all of the capability was there, including uranium. There is still debate in the news as to whether or not the intelligence report was correct that Iraq was trying to get yellowcake uranium from Niger. "Bush lied!"

Yet, Iraq had yellowcake uranium from somewhere. Isn't that the important part? Sure, you want to find someone to blame (preferably the opposing political party), but that should not be the main focus.

http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=14295

Now there are new reports that suggest that Iraq was indeed working hard to build WMDs.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&e=4&u=/ap/20040721/....

Also, the old UK intelligence report about Niger may have been right after all.

http://www.democratherald.com/articles/2004/07/17/news/opinion....

http://townsvillebulletin.news.com.au/common/story_page....

Ok, so they didn't have a stack of fresh WMDs ready to go, but merely the capability to build them. That doesn't make me feel a lot better about the old Iraq. And shouldn't this at least end the "Bush lied!" mantra? I won't hold my breath!

Yet the news features many people saying that the war on Iraq was wrong, the intelligence is wrong, everything is wrong.

So the question remains, do you just leave a dictator in power (who even Russia's Putin said was planning attacks on the US) until he finally gets a bomb and transports it to who-knows-where, or do you finally end the mess that existed since the end of the first gulf war, where the coalition had the great idea of leaving Saddam in power and not enforce the treaties that were signed? The real bottom-line is why leave Saddam in power at all? I don't understand the arguments towards wanting to keep a brutal dictator in power in defiance of the UN treaties he signed as well as crimes against humanity. Somehow Bush is the problem? What stretch of logic is this? Soveriegnty is fine as long as a country is not a basketcase of despotism. Even if you thought that he had no intention of making WMDs and the stockpiles were there but he'd never have the guts to put them together, given his other atrocities, why leave him in power? Blair agrees:

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040720/ap_on_re_eu/.....

Everything isn't wrong, and Iraq is better.

[UPDATE 9/26/04: I did find an article that mentioned the 500 tons of yellocake uranium that explained that it had been in Iraq for quite a while, implying that there were no recent acquisitions. Even if not, it still looks like Saddam had the capability of continuing a nuclear program and may have been at least attempting to make more acquisitions.]

Free online games [games]

2004-07-10T13:02:00.000-04:00

Free online games, for limited time:
EverQuest Trilogy

Star Wars Galaxies

Obviously, once you're through the trial period, they want you to pay money to keep going. :-)

Myself, I don't know that I need something else to occupy my time, especially after the $5 Circuit City game deal, where I picked up 6 games. :-) But this would be a great way to try it out without committing to a big investment.

Speaking of the CC deal, my local store was pretty picked-over already, with the top-rated games long-gone, but there were still some decent games that were more obscure. It is still worth visiting to see if there's something you might want. Keep in mind that a really bad game isn't even worth $5, as it'll just be a waste of your time, if not your money.

GI Joe and the military [politics]

2004-07-09T00:23:00.000-04:00

washingtontimes.com

... it is almost as if these types have had a psychotic break from reality.

Now, there's a Quote of the Week for you!

The author is speaking about some in the anti-war crowd being upset that GI Joe action figures are being handed out during a Minnesota Twins baseball game. The claim is that the dolls will promote war, but I can't help but think that it has an implied message that it's bad to grow up to be a solder. What would be the problem if a youngster actually admired solders or even grew up to become one? I suppose if you're anti-war and don't like solders, you probably don't want an army either.

I can imagine arguments about how to best make use of a military (such as only in defense of the homeland or getting 27 resolutions from the UN instead of 17 before reacting), but to not have one at all? What is to keep a despot from taking advantage of such a situation? Seems very naive and unrealistic.

Who should we encourage our kids to look up to as an alternative? Firemen? Policemen? Luke Skywalker? I say, all of the above, including the solder.

What a sale! [games]

2004-07-09T00:06:00.000-04:00

Various sites on the 'net are talking about a Circuit City sale where the games are $4.99. Well, from what I've been reading (not just the results from the local store), pretty much all of the top-rated ones are long gone. Many posts talked about people taking shopping carts to buy stacks of games (presumably to resell on eBay). So, a lot of the remaining games are not the best, but there might be a niche product that you are interested in. For instance, I picked up Super Bust-a-move for two gaming systems. I often like puzzle-style games, so even though they are not always rated highly, they might be worth getting to some.

Still, I read through the lists that others have gotten, and most of the games listed are just not that good. So how bad does it have to be before $5 turns out to be not such a good deal? There were a few that are actually halfway decent, though, so it's not a complete waste of time. It's more like a treasure hunt, so check it out and have fun.

More on Nintendo and the state of the gaming industry. [games]

2004-06-14T21:06:00.000-04:00

More comments from Nintendo.

Hard as it may be for those editors to believe, not everyone outside their circle is prepared to pay a high price for a new console....

I think this is really the bottom-line. You have a very vocal group of dedicated fans who always want to push the state of the art and for many of them, money is no object. There was a time in the past where I tried to buy every available console; let me tell you, that adds up quickly! Sure, I got to play games that I otherwise would have missed out on, but it wasn't very practical.

This article focuses on that M.Soft is jumping the gun and releasing their new console when the original was only out for 4 years. If companies stretch out the release of a new system, there is more money available by consumers to buy games, and less overhead for companies to work on that new machine.

That sounds relatively logical, but there are those who don't really agree with that, and want something bigger, faster, etc. What worries me is that with each generation, the improvements are more subtle and less revolutionary. We will get more polygons, even better shading and lighting effects, but is the typical pre-teen going to appreciate that? And if not, isn't it a waste of resources adding those polygons? Every object has to be designed, and more polys and more features mean more programmers and time. How much money is everyone going to have to invest to keep the minority of die-hard fans happy?

I'm not excluding myself from the die-hard category either, I just want to be a bit practical now and then. And when it comes down to it, I can suffer with the current level of 3D graphics for a bit longer in exchange for something cool and revolutionary. (How about those 3D glasses?)

Harry Potter 3 [movies]

2004-06-12T10:05:00.000-04:00

We finally saw the latest Harry Potter movie. Great stuff! Hard to believe that a sequel can keep you that engaged.

Lori said that (perhaps more that the previous movies) it really would help to have read the book beforehand; the movie glossed over some important info. It's kind of a long movie as it is, so I'm sure something had to be cut, but I say go see it anyway.

I never felt that the movie slowed down for a second, and when it was over, Lori had no idea how much time had passed. I don't know that I want to say it's better than the previous ones, but it doesn't slack off in the slightest. It probably helps that you're already familiar with the characters from the prior movies.

The Next Generation of Videogames [games]

2004-06-11T23:04:00.000-04:00

News article about Nintendo.

Here's what I thought was the most interesting bit:

...the gaming industry is reaching a dead end as its past formula for success — dazzling consumers with more sophisticated imagery — no longer works.

I've been thinking this myself for a while.

In the past, new generations of consoles were noticably better than the previous ones. In the first, the Atari 2600 and Intellivision had really blocky graphics for the most part, and few screens. The Nintendo NES, SNES, and Sega Genesis had complex games with many screens, even though the graphics were still primarily 2D. Starting with 3DO, and quickly followed by Sega Saturn, Sony Playstation, and Nintendo N64, games were 3D. Everything was 3D, with shading, animation, etc. Each step also meant that gameplay was greatly affected -- more levels meant more complex gameplay. 3D instead of 2D also added complexity, as well as an experience that was new. The jump from 2D Mario to 3D was huge!

The newer consoles all have better graphics than those in the past, but how much have the games changed? Sure, they look better, which is only to be expected, but aside from "more realistic", is that it? And how much more realism do we need in graphics? The current systems are already supporting video standards beyond that which conventional analog TVs are capable.

Manufacturers promised that increased power of new systems will also allow better physics and AI, as well as better graphics. My thought is that this is great if your goal is the ultimate simulator, but let's back up a second -- if you are just adding complexity, it doesn't necessarily mean you're chasing the right solution. This goes for any software. (Solve the problem!) Sure, it's nice to have feature bragging rights, but particularly when it comes to games, sometimes you just want to access it quickly and play.

What I'm getting at is people say they like features, but when it really comes down to it, people shop on price, not just on content. Otherwise, we'd all be driving luxury cars, 6 megapixel cameras, and have top of the line everything. Most of us have "normal" cars, 3mp digital cameras, etc. Only if you are a photography nut will you spend the extra for 6 mp; right now, you can get good 4x6 prints with 3mp at a reasonable price, 4mp is starting to replace 3mp, but the price really jumps to get to 6mp.

If the new games and systems don't offer something tangibly new to the experience, they're not going to be as excited about it. Meanwhile, it's a terrible cost not just for millions of consumers to re-buy a new console, but for companies to get up to speed on the new system. And the average user isn't going to sit there and count polygons -- once the 3D graphics are sufficiently detailed, more detail will only go so far. The bottom line is, the game has to be fun first, cool graphics second. Unless you just want a quick sale followed by disappointment, but that only goes so far before the consumer becomes discouraged from making further purchases.

Sony seems to be the best at handling some of the problems that I see. First, their consoles have lasted for 5 years before the next arrives, giving users time before feeling like they have to upgrade. Second, you don't have to toss out your software -- it runs on the new box. So, it ends up being a pretty good value, so far.

But I think it's the die-hard gaming fans that will jump into any technology just to have the latest thing, and average consumers will buy it now or later, but do not need the ultimate graphics. Being second-best might be just fine, perhaps better than expected. Even if you give people a better system, are they really going to notice that it displays 25 million polygons per second instead of 10 million? I'm sure that if two otherwise identical games & systems are set up side-by-side, most people could tell the difference, but I think we are reaching a point of diminishing returns. Even if you insist that this upcoming generation of gaming consoles will be a significant step, where do you go from there?

Instead, Nintendo is implying that they'll give users something new. Hey, how about 3D shutter-glasses? I'd like to play some 3D games in real 3D! You might not even need a new machine for that.

Learning Blogger [general]

2004-06-11T22:23:00.000-04:00

Actually, Blogger is successful in making their system dumbfoundingly simple. Normally, I like to do my own graphics and design, but I have more to learn before I can match the quality of this template, so I think I'll stick with it for now.

The only thing that really bugs me about Blogger is the lack of a category system. So, I'm going to make up my own system by putting a category in the title. That way, at least it'll be searchable.

Unfortunately, my only other option will take up too much time for me to spend on something like that right now.

PhoneTray [software]

2004-06-10T21:24:00.000-04:00

PhoneTray
This is a neat, free Caller ID program. I was tired of jumping up and trying to find the cordless phone all the time, and this is a lot more flexible. And the price is right.

First post [general]

2004-06-10T21:20:00.000-04:00

Here's my first post to the blog. I think almost by definition the first post should be a really lame test post, so here it is. ;-)

Ok, nothing important to see here, please move along. Then again it might be more interesting than what's on TV.