Thanks for visiting my site! I've had a fun few months playing demos and writing about them, but family circumstances force me to abandon the Demo Gamer (for now). I hope to be able to return in a few months. In the meantime, keep playing and having fun. Thanks for your support.
--Demo Gamer
Monday, May 30, 2011
Friday, May 27, 2011
OPINION: The Demo Filter
Having read this great article on Rock, Paper, Shotgun, I started thinking about my relationship with video/computer games in general and demos in particular. It was only recently that I started getting into demos, and only then because I was gaming-funds poor and did not have access to free video games like I did as a kid.
See, my teenage life as a gamer was one that most teens would kill for: free games in the mail, free hardware (even esoterics like the 3DO and Jaguar), attending E3. It was good (still is!) to be the son of an electronic game journalism pioneer. Around 1999, my dad got out of the biz and the gravy train came mostly to a halt. When I moved out, I took my dad's neglected GameCube with me, and contented myself with (free-to-me copies of) Burnout, Need for Speed: Underground, SSX3, and Metroid Prime.
Then I got married to a non-gamer. My gaming dropped sharply at this point, relegated to times when my wife was working and I wasn't. Then we had a kid. Then another. Then we got a Wii (as a gift, even. I'm such a cheapskate. Thanks, mom and dad!). With my money and time even more occupied elsewhere, the Wii didn't get much use, although my oldest son started Wii bowling right around age 3 (he's 5 now). When I had a gaming itch, I tended to fire up The Ur-Quan Masters or Transport Tycoon Deluxe (both free) for a few minutes, nothing more. Then Nintendo restarted their Wii demo program in November of last year, and I played Fluidity.
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| nintendo.com/gamesites/wii/fluidity/ |
For large-budget, highly-hyped games, a trailer and many professional reviews may do, but for indie developers in particular, I feel that demos are very important. Alec Meer at Rock, Paper, Shotgun writes,
Many indies know better, or at least know that because they lack the option of brute-force, high-spend marketing they have to use other means of letting people know what their game is like. Take a look at demo-hub GamersHell and there are so, so few game demos listed there – and of those that are, the vast majority are indie. Yet still so many indies resist – even most of the mails we get from indie devs simply contain a link to a trailer, with the lack of anything playable both complicating what we can usefully say about the game and the possibility of it capturing the affections of our readers. Frozen Synapse is out today, for instance. It’s ace, you should try it and see if you like it as much as I do. Oh, you can’t. Watch a trailer, I guess.I've heard good things about Frozen Synapse, but I won't play it until there's a demo. Most games cost more than a music album or movie ticket, and I can listen to audio snippets on Amazon and get my money refunded at the theater before the 30-minute mark of a show. Why should games be any different, especially when there's more money and time involved?
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| spacechemthegame.com |
Demos becoming somewhat passé is something that should worry all gamers. Quoth Alec Meer once more:
Adverts and trailers don’t tell you the truth, but so often they’re all we get to go on until embargoes lift and launch-day reviews land. In a very fundamental way, such marketing lies about the experience you’re going to have. The camera angles are rarely those you’ll see yourself, while the checkpoints and the chokepoints and the guy named CockLord12 and all the minor irritations (and indeed minor, personal pleasures) you’d experience bear no mention. It sells an idealised version of the game experience, and one that leans far too closely to the movie model – nothing at all to do with the act of playing a videogame. I couldn’t buy a game based on promotion alone, and to be honest I probably couldn’t buy it on reviews alone – I need to try it myself, see whether it lights up those strange pathways in my brain that entail not just passing enjoyment but complete fixation upon the experience at hand. I need a demo.Amen, Alec. I'm right there with you on this one. I know one place where it is pretty easy to find a demo: Apple's App Store. PSN and Xbox Live Marketplace are pretty good, too. I wish Wii Ware was so endowed, and I feel terrible for great games like Fluidity that are trapped there out of necessity. Still, we could use more demos, especially for big-budget games.
So what can we as gamers do to help get more demos out there? We can download the ones that exist, to start. Then we can buy the full games that we like. We can take "The Demo Filter" to an extreme and refuse to buy games that don't have demos, however painful this might be (Portal 2, I'm looking at you, although I guess the Portal demo might suffice). I'm not necessarily recommending this, but it's an option. Also, if we ever decide to become developers, let's make sure to include demos with our games.
What's your relationship with demos? Do you use "The Demo Filter"? Ever played a demo so good it grabbed you by the collar and forced you to buy a game at your earliest inconvenience? Those are my favorite. Sound off in the comments!
--Demo Gamer
PS - Rock, Paper, Shotgun is probably my favorite gaming news and opinion site. You should read it often, as I do :D
Monday, May 23, 2011
DEMO: Lead the Meerkats (Wii Ware)
Lead the Meerkats for Wii (Wii Ware)
In 5 words: opaque, superficial, ponderous, incomplete, strategic
The latest demo for the Wii, Lead the Meerkats, is a top-down real-time strategy game where you lead a pack of meerkats on a quest for redemption. Having been thrown out by a rogue pack of meerkats, it is your responsibility to build up your pack and take back what is rightfully yours.
Gameplay consists of expanding your burrow to increase your territorial influence, gathering food to help baby meerkats be born and grow, and fighting off predators to protect your pack. Using the Wii remote and nunchuk, you guide your meerkats across the map searching for new objectives. Each day is a turn, and after each day, the game rates your performance.
Featuring clever touches like naming rights for individual meerkats and also the pack, Lead the Meerkats starts out interestingly enough, but gets old quickly. The use of the Wii's motion controls is repetitive, somewhat ponderous, and not innovative, and the tutorial provided by the demo is pretty opaque. The graphics are too small and during the night and early morning, it is difficult to see anything. In addition, the music is unremarkable.
Lead the Meerkats may be a good game, but the demo didn't convince me of the fact. When the demo ended (after the 3rd day), I felt like I knew relatively little about the title. Consequently, I cannot recommend it, especially at the $10.00 price point.
Demo Gamer Stats:
Age range: 8+
Demo length: 15-20 minutes
Demo worth playing? I'm not sure this was worth my time, but if you like nature-themed games and strategy games, you might want to check it out.
Full game worth buying? I really can't recommend Lead the Meerkats, not based solely on the demo.
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| Courtesy nintendo.com |
Genre: Strategy/Adventure
Full Game Price: $10.00
No. of Players: 1
In 5 words: opaque, superficial, ponderous, incomplete, strategic
The latest demo for the Wii, Lead the Meerkats, is a top-down real-time strategy game where you lead a pack of meerkats on a quest for redemption. Having been thrown out by a rogue pack of meerkats, it is your responsibility to build up your pack and take back what is rightfully yours.
 |
| Courtesy leadthemeerkats.com |
Featuring clever touches like naming rights for individual meerkats and also the pack, Lead the Meerkats starts out interestingly enough, but gets old quickly. The use of the Wii's motion controls is repetitive, somewhat ponderous, and not innovative, and the tutorial provided by the demo is pretty opaque. The graphics are too small and during the night and early morning, it is difficult to see anything. In addition, the music is unremarkable.
Lead the Meerkats may be a good game, but the demo didn't convince me of the fact. When the demo ended (after the 3rd day), I felt like I knew relatively little about the title. Consequently, I cannot recommend it, especially at the $10.00 price point.
Demo Gamer Stats:
Age range: 8+
Demo length: 15-20 minutes
Demo worth playing? I'm not sure this was worth my time, but if you like nature-themed games and strategy games, you might want to check it out.
Full game worth buying? I really can't recommend Lead the Meerkats, not based solely on the demo.
I am anxiously awaiting the launch of Nintendo's eShop, and I hope Nintendo starts releasing more quality demos next month. Played Lead the Meerkats? Agree/disagree with my analysis? Sound off in the comments!
--Demo Gamer
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
DEMO: LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars
LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars for Xbox 360 (Xbox Live)
In 5 words: darker, funny, easy, construction, fun
So I recently lucked into an Xbox 360, and wouldn't you know it, my oldest son, now five years old, has played this demo more than I have. He loves LEGO Star Wars almost as much as I do and we have had a lot of fun playing through the LEGO Star Wars III demo multiple times.
If you're familiar with previous entries in the LEGO Star Wars series of games, LEGO Star Wars III (LSWIII) feels very comfortable, and yet, it is fairly innovative when compared to the other games. In the demo, you get to play two different levels, both focusing on General Grievous' ship, Malevolence. One level features ship-based combat while the other is on foot. The ship-based level innovates in that you have to switch between planes of flight and you also land and disembark to perform some tasks. The other level shows how controlling the Force is different in LSWIII compared to previous games. You have more control over how and where you use the Force, and it can lead to some comical results, such as lifting a super battle droid into the air and making it shoot at its comrades. This added level of control raises LSWIII's interactivity and fun factor while also making the game more challenging.
One thing I noticed as I played LSWIII is how dark the levels are. I was constantly struggling to see what I needed to do next the first time I played through, but it seemed to get a little better as I went. The trademark humor of the LSW games remains, and the sound effects and music are great (it is a LucasArts game, after all). In addition, the cooperative multiplayer is a riot and features an interesting split screen mechanism that makes going off on your own a breeze. The demo features everything from barrel throwing to crashing a capital ship into a moon. It is very fun.
If you've never played a LEGO Star Wars game before, this demo is a fine place to start. With a little help, your younglings should find it quite entertaining. What the demo did not convince me of was the value of the full game. I'm probably going to wait for this to drop a few dollars before I buy.
Demo Gamer Stats:
Age range: 5+
Demo length: 20-40 minutes
Demo worth playing? You get to crash a starship. Into a planet. Using the force. Yes. Play the demo.
Full game worth buying? Not sure, but at $40, it is not a full-price title for the Xbox 360, Wii, or PS3, so it is essentially already on sale.
Any LEGO Star Wars fans out there? Have you played LSWIII? Is it worth the time/money? Sound off in the comments!
--Demo Gamer
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| Courtesy xbox.com |
Genre: Jedi Action Platformer
Full Game Price: MSRP $40
No. of Players: 1-2 (simultaneous co-op)
In 5 words: darker, funny, easy, construction, fun
So I recently lucked into an Xbox 360, and wouldn't you know it, my oldest son, now five years old, has played this demo more than I have. He loves LEGO Star Wars almost as much as I do and we have had a lot of fun playing through the LEGO Star Wars III demo multiple times.
If you're familiar with previous entries in the LEGO Star Wars series of games, LEGO Star Wars III (LSWIII) feels very comfortable, and yet, it is fairly innovative when compared to the other games. In the demo, you get to play two different levels, both focusing on General Grievous' ship, Malevolence. One level features ship-based combat while the other is on foot. The ship-based level innovates in that you have to switch between planes of flight and you also land and disembark to perform some tasks. The other level shows how controlling the Force is different in LSWIII compared to previous games. You have more control over how and where you use the Force, and it can lead to some comical results, such as lifting a super battle droid into the air and making it shoot at its comrades. This added level of control raises LSWIII's interactivity and fun factor while also making the game more challenging.
One thing I noticed as I played LSWIII is how dark the levels are. I was constantly struggling to see what I needed to do next the first time I played through, but it seemed to get a little better as I went. The trademark humor of the LSW games remains, and the sound effects and music are great (it is a LucasArts game, after all). In addition, the cooperative multiplayer is a riot and features an interesting split screen mechanism that makes going off on your own a breeze. The demo features everything from barrel throwing to crashing a capital ship into a moon. It is very fun.
If you've never played a LEGO Star Wars game before, this demo is a fine place to start. With a little help, your younglings should find it quite entertaining. What the demo did not convince me of was the value of the full game. I'm probably going to wait for this to drop a few dollars before I buy.
Demo Gamer Stats:
Age range: 5+
Demo length: 20-40 minutes
Demo worth playing? You get to crash a starship. Into a planet. Using the force. Yes. Play the demo.
Full game worth buying? Not sure, but at $40, it is not a full-price title for the Xbox 360, Wii, or PS3, so it is essentially already on sale.
Any LEGO Star Wars fans out there? Have you played LSWIII? Is it worth the time/money? Sound off in the comments!
--Demo Gamer
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
OPINION: My Journey to Dell Hell and Back
(A big hello to everyone visiting from The Consumerist! If you're unfamiliar with The Consumerist, it's a consumer advocacy blog that's both fun and informative. Check it out!)
Recently, I tweeted about my Dell Vostro 1400 laptop that had a defective NVIDIA 8400M graphics chip. I would like to share the story of my successful journey to Dell Hell and back, getting a 3.5-year-old out-of-warranty laptop fixed for free.
Sometime in late 2010, I got a letter in the mail detailing a class-action lawsuit and subsequent settlement regarding defective NVIDIA graphics chips. My laptop had the chip, but I had had no graphics issues up to that point and I could not apply for relief unless my laptop had certain symptoms as defined in the settlement. Then, in mid April, my laptop became unusable. I went to the settlement website and discovered that I had missed the claim window by a month, so I called Dell to see what they could do.
I called more than once, and each time, the front-line phone rep rebuffed my request for free service or replacement. I wasn't about to give up, though. I scoured the internet (including the great pro-consumer website consumerist.com) looking for options, including the sometimes-effective EECB. To start, I ended up tweeting @DellCares the following:
Recently, I tweeted about my Dell Vostro 1400 laptop that had a defective NVIDIA 8400M graphics chip. I would like to share the story of my successful journey to Dell Hell and back, getting a 3.5-year-old out-of-warranty laptop fixed for free.
Sometime in late 2010, I got a letter in the mail detailing a class-action lawsuit and subsequent settlement regarding defective NVIDIA graphics chips. My laptop had the chip, but I had had no graphics issues up to that point and I could not apply for relief unless my laptop had certain symptoms as defined in the settlement. Then, in mid April, my laptop became unusable. I went to the settlement website and discovered that I had missed the claim window by a month, so I called Dell to see what they could do.
I called more than once, and each time, the front-line phone rep rebuffed my request for free service or replacement. I wasn't about to give up, though. I scoured the internet (including the great pro-consumer website consumerist.com) looking for options, including the sometimes-effective EECB. To start, I ended up tweeting @DellCares the following:
@dellcares Nice when my Dell laptop dies 1 month after Nvidia Settlement stops taking claims. Y U NO RECALL? #delldoesntcare BUYER BEWARE!After my initial phone calls, I also received a very unsatisfying follow-up email (basically repeating everything the phone rep told me) from Dell support. Knowing I had nothing to lose, I wrote the following response and CC'ed michael@dell.com and michael_dell@dell.com:
One month ago, I could have applied for relief through the Nvidia lawsuit/settlement. I don't see why, with my problems manifesting themselves only 30 days later, I shouldn't be taken care of. Bad customer service on Dell's part, an unwillingness to admit fault. I understand the margins in this business are razor-thin, but that doesn't help me much. The out-of-warranty repair department also wants 2X the price of similar replacement parts I can find elsewhere. Another reason to just leave Dell and find a company that's interested in keeping my business.
This laptop would have at least 2 more years of life in it (running Windows 7 like a champ!) barring this defective graphics problem. I feel terrible for having convinced my sister to buy a similarly afflicted laptop. Dell (and NVidia) are very close to losing a customer forever. It's looking like this will be my first and last Dell laptop. I have a conversation going on Twitter with @dellcares. We'll see how that goes. #dellmightcarewe'llsee
I also joined Dell's Community forums and contacted the guy from this post. Interestingly enough, it did not take long (less than a day) to hear back from Dell's twitter team, and Dell executive support actually called me as well, specifically referencing the email I had sent. The Dell Community rep also got back to me, albeit a little later. Having gotten Dell's attention, the Twitter team sent me a pre-paid shipping box and 10 days later, I had a freely-fixed, properly-functioning laptop. I have had no further problems thus far, and I hope to get at least 2 more years out of this great little machine.
Moral of the story: don't let the bottom tier of support lock you out of a free repair. Go public, go to Twitter, go to Facebook, go to Dell Community, and email Michael Dell. I hope that this will help other people suffering from the NVIDIA graphics issue. Good luck!
--Demo Gamer
Thursday, May 5, 2011
DEMO: BIT.TRIP CORE (Wii Ware)
BIT.TRIP CORE for Wii (Wii Ware)
I have to admit, with a price of only $6.00, BIT.TRIP CORE looks like an OK value. The demo could disappear from Wii Ware at any moment, so if you're interested, you might want to go get it pronto.
Demo Gamer Stats:
Age range: 6+
Demo length: 10-20 minutes
Demo worth playing? I don't know. If you really like other BIT.TRIP demos, perhaps.
Full game worth buying? It is only $6.00. Probably worth every cent.
BIT.TRIP CORE has been out for awhile, so a few of you have probably played it. Agree/disagree with me? Sound off in the comments!
--Demo Gamer
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| Courtesy Nintendo.com |
Genre: Musical Puzzler
Full Game Price: $6.00
No. of Players: 1-2 (simultaneous co-op)
In 5 words: fast, frustrating, musical, too simple
With BIT.TRIP CORE, I have now played 4 BIT.TRIP demos. FATE felt forced, BEAT was busy, and RUNNER was remarkable. CORE is the least impressive thus far.
With BIT.TRIP CORE, I have now played 4 BIT.TRIP demos. FATE felt forced, BEAT was busy, and RUNNER was remarkable. CORE is the least impressive thus far.
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| Courtesy bittripgame.com |
CORE is definitely a BIT.TRIP game in that it starts out simple but quickly becomes overwhelming. Like other BIT.TRIP games, CORE rewards superior performance with better music. The BIT.TRIP CORE soundtrack is about the only redeeming quality I could find, and far too often I found myself not performing up to par, leading to the music dropping out entirely.
BIT.TRIP CORE is too simplistic. It does not make use of the Wii's motion controls like BEAT does and it is not nearly as graphically involved as RUNNER is. CORE is not bad, it's just not that good. And it is tough. If you can follow a beat, you should be alright. I struggled, and it was frustrating. That being written, I absolutely love the graphical style of all BIT.TRIP games, and CORE is no exception.
I have to admit, with a price of only $6.00, BIT.TRIP CORE looks like an OK value. The demo could disappear from Wii Ware at any moment, so if you're interested, you might want to go get it pronto.
Demo Gamer Stats:
Age range: 6+
Demo length: 10-20 minutes
Demo worth playing? I don't know. If you really like other BIT.TRIP demos, perhaps.
Full game worth buying? It is only $6.00. Probably worth every cent.
BIT.TRIP CORE has been out for awhile, so a few of you have probably played it. Agree/disagree with me? Sound off in the comments!
--Demo Gamer
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
DEMO: BIT.TRIP RUNNER (Wii Ware)
BIT.TRIP RUNNER for Wii (Wii Ware)
In 5 words: fast, simple, challenging, musical, engaging
The BIT.TRIP series of games is hit or miss, but RUNNER is definitely one of the better entries in the series. If you like challenging platformers and classic videogame music, you do not want to pass this game up.
Like other BIT.TRIP games, RUNNER starts out very simple but quickly combines many simple elements to create complete chaos. Not to worry, though: the rewards are there. The better you do, the better the music gets. As a longtime video game player and fan of techno music, I love the BIT.TRIP soundtracks, and I find it very creative how RUNNER repays its players.
That's not to say BIT.TRIP RUNNER is easy. Far from it. It is quite frustrating at times, and yet highly engaging. It is, in fact, the first BIT.TRIP demo that I played all the way through, and I'm glad I persevered. BIT.TRIP RUNNER brings back memories of the difficult, unforgiving, and rewarding platformers of my youth.
With a price of only $8.00, BIT.TRIP RUNNER looks like a solid value and is on my to-buy list. Give the demo a shot, it is very fun, and remember, you'd better download it soon as it could disappear from Wii Ware at any moment.
Demo Gamer Stats:
Age range: 6+
Demo length: 15-20 minutes
Demo worth playing? Definitely.
Full game worth buying? Looks like it's well worth it.
BIT.TRIP RUNNER has been out for awhile, so a few of you have probably played it. Is it as good as the demo makes it out to be? Sound off in the comments!
--Demo Gamer
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| Courtesy Nintendo.com |
Genre: Musical Platformer
Full Game Price: $8.00
No. of Players: 1
In 5 words: fast, simple, challenging, musical, engaging
The BIT.TRIP series of games is hit or miss, but RUNNER is definitely one of the better entries in the series. If you like challenging platformers and classic videogame music, you do not want to pass this game up.
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| Courtesy bittripgame.com |
That's not to say BIT.TRIP RUNNER is easy. Far from it. It is quite frustrating at times, and yet highly engaging. It is, in fact, the first BIT.TRIP demo that I played all the way through, and I'm glad I persevered. BIT.TRIP RUNNER brings back memories of the difficult, unforgiving, and rewarding platformers of my youth.
With a price of only $8.00, BIT.TRIP RUNNER looks like a solid value and is on my to-buy list. Give the demo a shot, it is very fun, and remember, you'd better download it soon as it could disappear from Wii Ware at any moment.
Demo Gamer Stats:
Age range: 6+
Demo length: 15-20 minutes
Demo worth playing? Definitely.
Full game worth buying? Looks like it's well worth it.
BIT.TRIP RUNNER has been out for awhile, so a few of you have probably played it. Is it as good as the demo makes it out to be? Sound off in the comments!
--Demo Gamer
Monday, May 2, 2011
OPINION: Wii 2 Will Be More iPad Than Xbox
When I first heard about Project Revolution, I was very excited. With its combination of motion and infrared control, I really felt like Nintendo was onto something special. Many of my friends had different feelings, especially as the Wii’s 2007 launch date neared. They were either cautiously optimistic or outright derisive, but I felt from the get-go that Nintendo had a created a game changer.
I was right. With over 80 million consoles sold (and money made on each one, to boot), Nintendo’s Wii is the undisputed commercial success of the last generation of game consoles, and interestingly so. The Wii was not a direct frontal assault on the already-released Xbox 360 or the forthcoming PS3: sub-par graphics, no DVD or Blu-ray playback, and other lacking features made it pale in comparison to its technically heavyweight competition, and yet, Nintendo created and exploited a new market basically overnight by simplifying the way gamers interacted with their games. Nintendo, while leaving a presence in the hardcore-gamer sandbox that Mario built, began to focus on this entirely new sandbox it had created. What Nintendo didn’t know was that it was not alone.
Another company released a game changer in 2007, and it may have been the sneakiest game console release in history. Apple’s pocket game console, disguised as a phone or iPod, became a real gaming machine in 2008 with the launch of the App Store. Competing directly with the Nintendo DS, and less directly with the Wii, the iPhone/iPod Touch (and more recently the iPad) have done very well, and Nintendo has correctly identified Apple as its most important nemesis going forward. And Nintendo is going forward. Next month, Nintendo will show off the Wii successor (dubbed Project Café) at E3 and we will all get a glimpse at how Nintendo plans to fight Apple in the coming years, and how the iPhone and iPad (and even Apple TV) have influenced Nintendo.
I believe this fight will depend on three factors: hardware innovation, developers, and online experience. “But what about HD graphics, Blu-Ray playback, 3D?” you ask. We’ll get to that later.
Neither Apple nor Nintendo are strangers to hardware innovation, as shown by the motion controls present in both the Wii Remote and most iOS devices. Apple certainly dominates when it comes to touch sensing, but Nintendo has plenty of experience with its DS line of portable game machines as well. As with Project Revolution, Project Café has the chance to raise the bar, and rumors of a touch-screen controller make me anxious for E3. The possibilities for a touch-screen controller are practically endless. While I do not expect something as revolutionary as the Wii Remote or Kinect, I figure that Nintendo will do a good job here, which leads to the next point: you have to have revolutionary software to match revolutionary hardware.
Apple’s iOS devices are practically a developer’s heaven. With an entry price of only $99 (compared to the Wii’s ~$2500), many small developers (and large studios) are finding success on iOS. Sure, prices are low and competition is fierce, but it seems that Apple has reduced the barriers to entry better than any other gaming hardware manufacturer. This leads to a lot of garbage apps, but it also leads to many quality titles. In order to compete, Nintendo needs to ditch its disdain for smaller developers and make it easier to develop for Project Café. Nintendo also needs to let developers control their own pricing and demos and fix the Wii’s onerous Digital Rights Management scheme. Related to the developer discussion, Nintendo has one major advantage over Apple: Mario (and Zelda, and Metroid, and so on). Nintendo’s in-house stable of marketable game franchises is a sizeable advantage against Apple (and Microsoft and Sony) that cannot be discounted.
Finally, when it comes to online experience, both Apple and Nintendo have some work to do to catch up to Microsoft and Sony. Nintendo has openly admitted that they squandered a great opportunity to make the Wii even better than it was through a more robust online experience. Apple has launched Game Center, but hasn’t supported it very well. Nintendo has promised to do better, and the end of this month marks the launch of Nintendo’s eShop for the 3DS (and hopefully the Wii as well). The eShop should give us an idea of how much Nintendo has learned from the Virtual Console/Wii Ware mess. What Apple does with Game Center remains to be seen, although there is hope for it in rumored cloud-computing services that are nearing completion. Time will tell!
So, what about other stuff like HD and 3D? I think Project Café will definitely be capable of 1080p video out, but I don’t think it will be graphically amazing. I honestly believe Nintendo will be shooting to beat the Xbox 360 and PS3 by the slimmest of margins graphicswise, primarily so they can sell the machine at a profit as they did with the Wii. I think Project Café may have a Blu-Ray drive and may also function as a media center similar to the Xbox 360 and iOS devices. I don’t think it will have 3D. I do think it will have a touch-screen controller that will double as a keyboard/mouse/input-device-of-some-kind to allow for easy internet browsing/media center controlling. I hope it has a decent game download service.
At the end of the day, I think Project Café will be the most ambitious product Nintendo has ever designed, and the first aimed squarely at Apple. So, where does that leave Microsoft and Sony, exactly? They have said they will wait at least another year before starting to talk externally about their next consoles, and then things should get very interesting. History has shown that there is little room for a 4th contender in the video game market. Perhaps spacing things out a bit will help, but for now, I guess we just have to wait for E3 and hang out at our favorite gaming blogs waiting for the latest tidbits to drop. I, for one, can’t wait to see what happens. How about you? Sound off in the comments!
--Demo Gamer
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