Voice of Reason

Sony execs tend to say a lot of dumb things, Ken Kuturagi made a career out of doing so  with the confidence of a man who firmly believes that he possesses a Steve Jobs-like Reality Distortion Field, unfortunately he sounded more like a lunatic to most, Kaz Hirai, on the other hand, comes off as an awkward spin doctor, desperate to peddle his wares, and lets not even talk about Jack Tretton.

Now entering the fray, SCEA's Director of Marketing, John Koller: 

"I think it remains to be seen where Nintendo goes with 3D on a portable... Having been in the portable space for quite awhile, I think it's an interesting move but one I'd like to see where they go from a demographic standpoint. 8 and 9 year-olds playing 3D is a little bit of a stretch given where some of our research is right now." 

 As usual, Bill Harris over at Dubious Quality had an interesting rebuttal to the idea that Sony should be opening their mouths at all about this particular topic. It's recommended reading.

If there was one image to sum up the last three years, it would be every Sony executive wearing a dog collar with NINTENDO stamped into the leather, walking on a leash behind Satoru Iwata.

This Exists

The Bill Paxton Pinball Machine... Some things you just can't make up.

http://www.toplessrobot.com/2010/03/bill_paxton_the_pinball_game.php

Tokyo 2010

For the longest time, my plan has been to go back to Japan in May, for better or worse, a twelve week project at work is going to prevent that from happening. Since that became a reality, I've been working on alternatives, and this morning, I think I came to a decision.

Tokyo Game Show

Although now a shadow of its former self, TGS was once the worldwide flagship of game industry trade shows, and I think it's time I paid a visit.

I have until August to come up with a plan.

Oh Apple...

So now Apple's gone ahead and removed all WiFi finding applications from the app store, Carmi Levy from Betanews wrote up a very interesting article on the how and why of this sudden maneuver. It looks like more manipulations by Big Brother.

All this comes just as Apple gets set to begin shipping iPads to an adoring public. Retail availability in the US is now set for April 3, and sometime toward the end of April in Canada. This means potential buyers are already deciding how much hard-earned cash to bring along when they wait in line overnight to buy one. Will they cheap out for the basic Wi-Fi version, or will they go full-on for a 3G-enabled iPad?

The timing of the latest app takedown is no coincidence: Apple and AT&T clearly want to influence potential buyers to stretch for a 3G-capable version to at least hold out the potential of ongoing subscription-based revenue. Think of this latest move as a scorched-earth strategy for wannabe-Wi-Fi-only iPad users. I'm betting that around this time next month, Wi-Fi-only iPads will be only slightly more difficult to find than two-headed Lincoln pennies, as Apple's carrier-friendly/consumer-unfriendly supply chain strategy snaps into focus.

http://www.betanews.com/article/Suddenly-Apple-hates-WiFi/1268062591

The Rise of Apple

For years and, every time someone would tear into Microsoft for some alleged monopolistic behavior while simultaneously lauding how benevolent Apple is, I've felt compelled to point out to them that deep down, Apple is far more malevolent then Microsoft could be on their best day. Steve Jobs has always been a monopolist, and the company he created thrives on having absolute control over all aspects of the user's experience.

It's ironic that Apple once made a commercial likening themselves to some sort of savior that would topple "Big Brother," 1984's icon of an all knowing and all controlling government. As Apple grows in power, their fist grows tighter, and I keep seeing more and more articles likes these:

Apple has allegedly been pressuring music labels to ditch Amazon MP3's "Daily Deal" promotions, lest they be excluded from being promoted through the iTunes machine. According to anonymous executives speaking to Billboard, Apple has always been uncomfortable with the labels double dipping with both iTunes and Amazon, but the company has ramped up its complaints lately in an attempt to retain its lead in the online music market. Though Apple still remains in the number one spot among all music retailers, the move is indicative that Apple takes competition from Amazon very seriously.

Speaking about iTunes, another major label executive told Billboard that "[t]hey are . . . diverting their energy from 'let's make this machine better' to 'let's protect what we got.'"

Some of those threats have apparently worked: labels representing Corinne Bailey Rae, Lady Antebellum, and Ke$ha have all reportedly pulled out of Daily Deals consideration in favor of staying on Apple's good side. And, because Apple's distaste for the Daily Deals at Amazon has become widely known in the industry, other labels have decided not to play the game at all by holding back their online offerings on the street date and the day before.

http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2010/03/apple-stepping-up-pressure-on-music-labels-to-snub-amazon.ars?

The Fall of Sony

This is a fantastic article about the comedy of errors that have led to Sony's fall from grace. Recommended reading for anyone who's curious.

There's no better example of the arrogance of the modern Sony than the launch of the PlayStation 3. It was the last of the current generation of game consoles to market. It cost more than all its competitors. Kaz Hirai, then president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America and now the head of the entire ball of wax worldwide, said infamously, "The next generation doesn't start until we say it does."

http://gizmodo.com/5477633/how-sony-lost-its-way

Developer Quote of the Day

"There are lots of games where you shoot and kill people, so this time we wanted to try and see how we could convey the good feeling of shooting robots." -Shinji Mikami on his new project, "Vanquish"