GeekwithEnvy

Discussions

The Used Game Business Could Disappear

by Leave a Comment

In my last podcast I discussed the possibility of next-gen consoles being released without optical drives, this is something that doesn’t sit well with businesses that rely on used games to keep the lights on.Blank DVD Cases

Just a decade ago, it would have been laughable to imagine that anyone would consider removing optical drives from a gaming console. We have changed the medium many times since the first true gaming console hit the market back in 1972, but we have never seriously considered completely removing physical media until recently. The idea is simple, the gaming industry asks that we download all of our content digitally and then they can control the pricing of the game over time as it eventually gets older.

So how will consumers feel about this move? Based on the recent reaction to the new Apple desktop line up, which no longer includes an optical drive, it would seem that there are still quite a few people out there who would be very upset at the removal of an optical drive in next-gen consoles.

Can you blame them for wanting a disc? Unfortunately, there are many people out there who have a poor connection to the internet, some people are still under a 1 Mbps. Slow internet speeds combined with overall much higher internet traffic could lead to consumers having to wait days before they can complete a download of their favorite game.

There is more to this story though, it’s not just about the optical drive. Even if console makers decide to stick with physical media, the used game business may still suffer. Although it’s still just speculation at this point, there are multiple reports that mention next-gen consoles moving to a system that will only allow you to play your game if you’re connected to the internet and logged into your account. If this idea ever comes to fruition it will permanently lock a game to a particular console, therefore making it impossible to trade in later.

This is clearly a good way to keep software piracy at bay, at least until they figure out a way around it. What impact will this have on the industry? I can tell you one thing for sure, gamers will be unlikely to play along. There has to be some compromise here and it could likely appear in some type of registration system. Perhaps we could simply activate and deactivate a particular game to work with our specific hardware and maybe the ability to do this would be limited to a certain number times in a month or year. This is a system that is already in place for many software titles in the desktop/laptop world. For instance, Adobe software enables you to activate and deactivate the software which allows you to move a product between separate machines, a feature that works really well.

Using the in-store credit system at one of my local used game vendors, I was able to go a full year without ever having to pay more than $10 for a new game title. Granted I only bought a few new games that year, about five, but that’s still a heck of a deal. I kept playing games, beating them and the turning them in before they lost a lot of value. After awhile I was able to keep a stockpile of points that allowed me to get any title for dirt cheap. This all would disappear in a heart beat if the industry takes a rigid approach towards digital downloads.

The success of an all digital system or an online-only system will depend greatly on its implementation. Clearly there should be a way for users to re-sell their games, even if it means redeeming points through Xbox Live Arcade or The Playstation Network. Maybe we could have some type of online used games channel that would allow us to swap games with others right on our consoles. We will just have to wait and see what happens, hopefully we can meet somewhere in the middle.

 

 

 

Diablo III Expansion Confirmed

by Leave a Comment

Yes, it is official a Diablo III expansion is in progress. Mike Morhaime of Blizzard Entertainment confirmed the expansion during an earnings call.diablo3logo

The details are limited at this time and we don’t have any hints towards how much progress has been made on the new expansion, but knowing Blizzard’s reputation for releasing games when they are “ready”, it’s probably safe to say it’s going to be a little while. Opinion of Diablo III is split down the middle as many fans were disappointed in some aspects of the game. The lack of an offline gameplay mode was disappointing  for long time Diablo fans who didn’t want to have to deal with server issues just to play the game by themselves.

The controversial real money auction house (RMAH), has some gamers claiming that is takes away one of the major incentives to keep playing the game, finding loot. Diablo III has seen some improvement through the release of patch 1.0.5, but something still feels likes it’s missing. I think that Blizzard should move their focus away from some of the previously mentioned features and really fine-tune the gameplay experience itself. Hopefully we will see this next expansion reinvigorate Diablo with not only new lands and lore to explore but adding or removing, some key features.

diablo screenshot 1

Regardless of how you feel about Diablo III, Activision has stated that the game is the #1 bestselling game in dollars and units on the PC in the U.S. and Europe since it’s launch. I had a feeling the game would sell well considering how many players still love Diablo II and it’s expansion, Lord of Destruction. The real question is whether or not those same people who originally bought the game will continue to stick with Diablo and purchase the new expansion.

As always we will keep you informed on the latest details surrounding the D3 expansion.

New HP Computers Not designed for Windows 7

by Leave a Comment

Looking to buy a new PC? Make sure you get one with the operating system you want, already pre-installed.

Windows_7_Horizontal_Logo_Web

HP support mentions that downgrading your new Windows 8 PC may cause hardware issues and you may ultimately have to return to Windows 8 to get things to work again. Besides having major hardware issues, reverting to Windows 7 could be a time consuming task that will require you to modify the BIOS in order to work with previous versions of Windows.

Here is the response from an HP Administrator when asked about downgrading:

“HP does not recommend downgrading on any HP consumer desktop and notebook products. After October 26, 2012, HP consumer desktop and notebook products will ship only with Windows 8. Windows 7 will not be supported on these new platforms, and no drivers, apps, or Windows 7 content will be available through HP. If users choose to downgrade their HP consumer desktop or notebook system, HP will continue to support the hardware but if there is an issue where HP diagnostics are required OR it is determined that the loaded software or upgrade operating system is causing the issue, HP may suggest returning the system to the original Windows 8 OS that shipped with the computer.”

As a Windows 8 user I don’t feel the urge to downgrade. In most cases I have actually spent very little time using the new tile UI, in fact I spend about 90% of my time on the “old desktop”. I don’t purposely avoid the new UI, it’s just that many of the apps I use are either not designed for Windows 8 or have one too many bugs at this point. Only time will tell if users start to drop Windows 8 and go back with Windows 7, but I don’t see why anyone would. Microsoft will obviously be continuing to patch the new OS to ensure things are running smoothly and there are even a few ways to make Windows 8 look and feel more like previous versions.

 

Halo 4 A Game Rich In Story

by Leave a Comment

The next chapter in the Halo universe is finally here and it’s just as good as we have expected, and more. Mankind’s greatest hero makes a return in this latest installment of the Halo franchise. Halo 4 is set about 5 years after the events of “Halo 3″. Master Chief and Cortana are back together and discover that an ancient evil is threatening to destroy all of mankind.

halo4_master-chief

We always expect the usual things from a big title like Halo, better graphics, better gameplay, new multiplayer maps and other various features, but the one thing that makes Halo so powerful is it’s story. I grew up playing many different types of games and 3D shooters were always fun to play.

I grew up in the pioneer days of 3D gaming and I spent many hours playing classic titles like Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, Duke Nukem 3D, Rise of the Triad, Quake, and many others. Each game had something a little different to offer over the years. The gaming systems that we used to play our favorite games on became more advanced and the games themselves started to look better, but one game in particular stood out.

 

I had just purchased a new Xbox and I remember being slightly less than optimistic about playing a new Microsoft shooter. I honestly wasn’t expecting Halo to be that good, I admit that now, it just didn’t look too impressive to me from what I had seen. I set everything up and popped in the disc, my journey into the Halo universe had begun.

halo4screenshot2

 

From the very start my opinion of the game had changed. Story telling in shooter style games had always seemed more of an afterthought but not with Halo. The story was right there, in your face, and with each cutscene you became more and more emotionally invested in your mission to save the world. The artificial intelligence in Halo was on a level that I hadn’t seen before, the way each foe reacted to my movements forced me to come up with a solid strategy, I was loving every minute of it. Now, fully immersed in this strange but awesome new world I played the game for hours. I actually beat the game in one sitting and it was early morning the next day when the credits had finally hit the screen. This was one of my favorite gaming experiences and I continued to enjoy Halo with friends in multiplayer almost every day during that summer.

halo4 screenshot 2

Halo 4 continues to deliver on all aspects of gameplay including a compelling story that’s built in a massive universe in which many stories can be told. 343 Industries has maintained the quality level that we expect from our Halo games.

 

Halo 4 is available in two editions, Standard Edition for $59.99 and Limited Edition for $99.99.

 

 

Apple Thinking About Dropping Intel

by Leave a Comment

 

Apple has been very successful when it comes to developing  their own chips, like the new Dual Core A6X. These chips are growing more and more powerful with each iteration and soon, according to Bloomberg, Apple feels that they will eventually be able to cram enough power into their chips to run their laptops and desktops as well. In 2005 Apple decided to bring Intel into the mix when it came to processing power for the Mac. Intel makes some of the fastest an most powerful chips on the planet including the i7, which is the current chip used across the Mac experience.

Mac Pro


The idea here is to create a seamless experience across their entire product line up, something Microsoft is also trying to achieve. Having the same chip architecture in each device can make that happen. There’s no doubt that Apple will try their hardest to make everything they can in-house, but how will this impact the Apple community?

Can Apple really create a chip that can do everything just as well as a world class Intel chip can do? After all, were not talking about Angry Birds here. I am trying to imagine running applications like Adobe Photoshop and Final Cut Pro on an Apple CPU, it just doesn’t feel like it’s possible.

Apple can attract the talent needed to design great chips but this is still new territory for them and they will need time to grow and learn as a chip manufacturer. Yes, mobile devices are very powerful these days but the processing demands of pro users is many times that of any current mobile chip and at least for now, I can’t see any immediate change in the near future. As for the the next ten years or so, we could be looking at a much different story.

One of the great benefits of Apple moving to an Intel based machine was the ability to run Microsoft software on Apple hardware. If Apple were to switch chips, would you still be able to run Microsoft Windows on the Mac? How well would other developers receive that new chip line up? I think that this could potentially isolate Apple again and in way that works against them. Could this move be as bad as the decision to abandon Google and release an unfinished Map product? It’s not just the power of the Intel chip, it’s also about the name. Consumers want to see “Intel Inside” their Mac computers, it gives us confidence in that product’s capabilities, it’s a name we have grown to trust over the years.

It’s important to note that these are just rumors at best, but I don’t have any doubt in my mind that Apple is hard at work trying to find ways to put the Apple logo on everything they can inside their machines.