Archive for October, 2007

Let’s face it – no matter what those statistics say, we know that the Wii’s gaining ground on the Xbox 360 (which had an extra year to sell, mind you) and it’s leaving the Playstation 3 in the dust. It’s popular for both it’s intuitive controls and appealing price point – which is why perhaps Sony recently announced a less expensive 40gb variant of the Playstation 3. Now, it seems like Microsoft is reacting in a similar way: enter the Xbox 360 Arcade, which is in my eyes a possible true contender for the Wii’s title.

Although it’s announced price is $299 USD, Amazon claims to be selling it for $279 – pretty darn close to the Wii’s $249 price point (and we pay $30 extra up here in Canada, such unfairness). It also comes with a few mini-games in response to Wii Sports’ popularity – think Pac-Man, Feeding Frenzy, Uno, and a couple of other ones. But, for such a difference in price, what features have been cut?

Sadly, there will not be a hard drive. But what about game saves? 256mb of internal memory will serve as storage (more than enough – my Playstation 3 card had 8mb and I still never managed to fill it). Thankfully, there’s still an HDMI port, although you’re going to have to buy your own HDMI cord. Alright, so it’s not too bad, but it’s definitely no Wii – nor will it ever stand up to it. Wait a second, I think we might be forgetting something…

…ever heard of Halo 3? That’s right, the Xbox 360 Arcade will still be able to play next-gen titles like Halo 3 (which singlehandedly boosted Xbox 360′s sales to surpass the Wii’s – a feat that could be repeated). I think I know a couple of people who would probably go nuts for this – as diehard Halo fans, they’ve been starving for the third installment but haven’t had the cash to buy an Xbox 360 yet. Until now.

The Xbox 360 Arcade just made the whole Xbox 360 family look a lot more enticing. With a much more attractive price, a cooler name, and the implementation of the core features, I think that it appeals to the more casual gamers or family side of consumers. Heck, if I could cough up $300, I’d probably put it in one of these babies.

Alright, so the title’s got absolutely nothing to do with fitting into WiiFit – it’s just that I thought it was pretty clever (grins embarassingly). So you’ve got a Wii (like me) eh? And you’re looking for the next biggest game – and with the success of WiiPlay and WiiSports, you can’t wait for another one of those Wii titles? Well then I’ve got great news that’ll simply make your day – and it’s called WiiFit.

Debuting in early 2008 for us overseas (2007 for all you residing in Japan), WiiFit is another one of those titles promising to broaden the horizon of video games. There’s just one surprise – you’re not using the Wiimote to play WiiFit.

What? Yep, you heard me right. Rather than playing with a Wiimote like you do with the majority of games, you’ll be playing with a Wii Balance Board, which will be wirelessly connected to your Wii just like a Wiimote. Simply stand on the board and start playing – it measures your weight and how your feet are moving during the game (thus taking the Wii controls to the next level).

If that can be implemented into other series of games, the possibilities will be endless – for example, we could perhaps run on the spot as we watch Zelda run on the screen. Jump and Zelda will jump! Of course, this is strictly just an idea, but for all you Nintendo developers reading my blog, I’m begging you to do it!

And one more thing – if you’re 136kg or 300 pounds, I’m afraid you won’t fit into WiiFit.  Many thanks to vhold from Reddit for pointing this out.

It’s very possible that the w580 will soon be replacing the w810 as Toronto’s (if not Canada’s) most popular Sony Ericsson phone (er, make that overall phone). It appears as though everyone has one – even though it’s available in only two colour schemes. In fact, from firsthand experience, I’ve heard many quotes sounding like “I like your taste in phones” result in the discovery that a fellow classmate or colleague possess the same device. What makes this device so darn popular, yet so irresistible?

1: The Flash Factor

If I ever got my hands on one of these, it’d definitely be named “Flashy” (my iPod’s named “Glassy”). For quite literal reasons, actually. When you slide the phone open, the colours on the sides of the phone light up and change. You can also choose to assign different-coloured lights to different contacts, and so on and so forth.

2. The Fitness Factor

I’ve never seen the Fitness application on any other Sony Ericsson phone – which is what makes it so appealing. With this generation of children and adults alike growing more concerned for their personal health and going on jogs and walks, the Fitness application can very possibly be ingenious and in fact very useful to the consumers. In fact, I’m trying to get it on the w600 (but I’m not sure if that’ll work).

3. It’s an Ericsson!

The quality on this Sony Ericsson is standard – which is top-notch for a higher price. The slider seems to be quite reliable (but give it some time) initially, and the re-vamped firmware collides with a new phone to blend into a very unique device. Of course, I’ll probably be investing in the generation after this one, as I can’t see much that I’m missing out on when comparing the w580 to the w600.

It’s so normal that it’s taken the world by storm. With specifications that meet the CutEdge 2007 Standard (2.0 megapixels, mp3-compatibility, 220×176 pixels screen, yada yada yada), I’ll definitely recommend the w580 as a phone to be reckoned with and a phone to seriously take into consideration.