Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Rockman DASH 3 is back!

On the 3DS!

http://www.capcom.co.jp/rockman/dash3/

It has been years since Rockman DASH 2, one of my favorite games during the PS1 years, and like many I waited in vain for years for a sequel.
Then there was the interview in 2007 with Inafune about Rockman DASH 3




But now it is here and for real, and here is Keiji talking about it.



My life is now complete. Can't wait.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

KDE 4.5 is good, no more Gnome for me

KDE 4.5 is super smooth, only took the KDE team 2 years and a half. Is KDE perfect? No, then again my preferred environment is Mac OS X. But KDE is pretty damn good and I prefer it to the UI of Windows 7, though only slightly.
Gnome 2 is old and outdated, Gnome 3 wont be here until next year and I'm not liking the new Gnome shell destined for Gnome 3. I might like it when I dabble with it then, but not now. It looks too confusing and cluttered for me.

IE9 is Good, no Longer Evil

IE9 beta has been released recently, played around with it, and other than some interesting UI choices that I don't agree with, I have nothing but praise for this release, it is obvious what my two UI complaints are, but UI is a choice and inconsequential.


To celebrate the greatness of IE9 I will never consider IE to be Evil as long as Microsoft puts continuous effort to improve it and keep it standards complaint.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Step Yo' Game Up!

The recent attacks by Sony on iOS gaming testifies to how much Sony is frightened of the rise of the relatively new comer. Sony itself was a new comer and knows how a noob can beat a master. Unfortunately for Sony, they are also validating Apple's claims that iOS is a gaming platform and giving it air time. This is not like the Mac vs. PC ads where everyone knew what a Windows-running PC was. This free air time informs viewers that there is yet another serious gaming platform that Sony is scared of it.
Why wont Sony be scared? The PSP failed miserably against the DS and recently saw it sales drop further and market share dwindle. The rise of the iPod touch went hand in hand with the accelerated fall of the PSP. The PSP found itself between the best gaming handheld (DS) and the best handheld (iPod touch). Games were always a weak link for the PSP and the attach rate shows it. The attach rate for the PSP has always been lowest in the industry and it is only gonna get worse.

Some might try to downplay the iPod touch sales/market share for being bought by many as media player, but in truth so was the PSP, at least initially. Sony did imply in many ways that the PSP is the Walkman of the future. So a comparison against the iPod touch is fair.




Code:
Total Portable Sales: 2008= $2.25bil;      2009=$2.50bil
iPhone Game Sales:    2008=$0.12bil;       2009=$0.50bil
PSP Game Sales:       2008=$0.45bil;       2009=$0.28bil
DS Game Sales:        2008=$1.69bil;       2009=$1.75bil


Piracy is a huge part of why the PSP's attach rate and software sales are low. I don't justify piracy at all, but given that pirating DS games is easier yet lower, one can assume that many gamers don't perceive PSP games to be worthy of their asking price. I haven't pirated any PSP games, but compared to my DS library it is about 12:1.
PSP and DS Piracy Explained In Pictures // Siliconera

You can bet 2010 will be even bigger for iOS, it has become common to see +$5.00 on top, with many $9.99 games making it near the top.


Epic Citadel Demo on Apple Special event Sep 1, 2010


"FINAL FANTASY TACTICS: The War of the Lions" E3 Trailer

"Secret of Mana" for iPhone E3 Trailer

Monday, September 6, 2010

iPod touch: 45 million sold so far



AppleInsider | iPod touch represents 38% of iOS devices sold by Apple


Quote:
"It's become the number one portable game player in the world," Jobs said. "It's amazing. The iPod touch outsells Nintendo and Sony portable game players combined. It's been amazing."
Here's to hoping for more serious games on iOS 

Atlus how about an SMT port for iOS, you can't let Square-Enix and Sega run with all the iOS RPG money 



It took Apple 3 years to sell ~45 million, amazing!