Gaming from the Alaskan bush!

So the past week or so has been pretty much making the most of all the gaming consoles I have now. Just to add to it, another site I'd done months ago finally credited the offer I did, so I got another referral or two to sign up and ended up getting a Nintendo DS Lite out of it ZeroPricetags were awesome - I had the account approved, order accepted (including my choice of color) and shipped from Amazon all within about 5 hours. Hopefully that will get here in the next couple of days, along with Mario Kart DS and Diddy Kong Racing.

The Nintendo Wii has continued to impress - Wii Play has a couple of fun games Kat really likes, and I also bought Super Mario Bros and Mario Kart 64 through the Virtual Console. It's a cool idea, but expensive - I didn't so much mind 500 point ($5) for Super Mario Bros, but 1000 points for Mario Kart 64 was a bit too much.

Still, was fun to relive some old games, and we keep loading up Super Mario Bros for a quick game every day or two. I've also really gotten into Zelda: Twilight Princess after a slow start to it effectively moving through tutorials. Is different getting used to an all text-based storyline and having to think your way through dungeons, but it's really engaging. One final site I'd started on months ago before I got the Wii through ClickPerks, Free4Me, also approved my account and so I'm getting Mario Party 8. Originally, you needed 6 referrals for the Wii with no alternative prizes, but now they've changed it and offered lower prizes, so with the two referrals I had I could get a game. No complaints from me!

On the Xbox 360 side, after the Spring update and getting a new Netgear wireless router, I started converting some DVD's I brought over from England into mp4 format to stream across the network from my MacBook to the Xbox 360. Using Connect360 it's painfully easy and integrates superbly - all the proper albums from iPhoto load up, my iTunes library and playlists are there (except any iTunes Store purchased tracks) and all my movies stream across really well after Connect360 updated to version 3.1 last week. Well worth the $20.

I've even been able to convert a few movies from my Archos AV500 to H.264 formatted mp4 video, though as you're already working with a lower quality video it doesn't look as good on an HDTV. But, with my parents heading out to California next month and bringing the rest of my DVD's over, I'll be able to convert direct from DVD again.

Everything sounds so good, except for the PS3. The only thing I have been pleased with was 720p support for Blu-Ray discs meaning I could finally see what Talladega Nights looked like on an HDTV. That was pretty cool, and I'm definitely tempted to start adding Blu-Ray discs to my Netflix queue. Only problem was the 1.80 firmware update from Sony in order to get it was another 110Mb+ download - that's well over 220Mb of updates from Sony in a month. Giving Microsoft credit, at least they manage to punch out updates under 8Mb.

The new support for streaming media servers is pretty useless using OS X - TwonkyMedia would get music streaming across, though no iTunes playlists; photos wouldn't work as it doesn't like the folder + filename formatting iPhoto uses, and only mp2 format videos would work even though it should work with exactly the same format video files as the Xbox 360 uses. Even those running Windows XP or Vista with Media Player 11 seem to have problems with the video formats, so it's not just me. I removed TwonkyMedia and gave up on streaming media - I'll stick with the fully integrated solution with the Xbox 360.

One last thing I also got around to trying was remote play between the PSP and the PS3. That was also a major let down, partially because of so much crap going around the Internet as to what you can actually do wit it. Basically, in reality it's very little. You can stream media such as music, videos + photos from your PS3 to your PSP, but if you're already sat at home, why not use your TV anyway? There is no game support utilizing remote play whereby the PSP becomes a controller and the screen could act as a rear-view mirror in a racing game, for example. In practice, it's probably a lot more work for developers to code stuff like that, and would heavily depend on the speed + strength of the wireless network being used. Still, seems like a waste of time to be honest and not something all that useful.


All in all, very happy with my collection of video game consoles, especially with more new toys such as the Nintendo DS Lite arriving! Will keep me entertained whilst traveling this summer. Glad I didn't go for a PSP after borrowing Nick's and finding out how useless the remote play feature is. Will be looking at trading a couple of older Xbox 360 games in at GameStop of similar this summer to get some new titles to play after we get back up here!

I admit, I love playing with my Wii Damn Nintendo, why couldn't you have come up with a name that hasn't endured months of ridicule along those lines?! Wii Sports is worryingly addictive. Honestly, there's nothing to it in terms of graphics, physics + dynamics of the game, or multiple levels and enemies with a storyline holding them all together. Still, it's just so fun to play, all my upper body aches from the last few days! Wii Play was pretty poor, but I was only after the extra remote and knew the games weren't all that hot. Laser hockey, cow riding, and shooting were fun, but no-where near Wii Sports entertaining. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess has been a bit of a let down, probably because it's been a while since I played one of the Zelda games, and they're always pretty slow going, immersive with their storylines, and require a bit of thought. Not quite like Gears of War...

But, since I'd pretty much ran out of space around my TV cabinet now I have an Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and now a Nintendo Wii, I got some time in the workshop a couple of days ago and knocked up a quick shelving unit in an hour or so. Works well, gives everything organised, and still gives plenty of airflow on the systems (especially the Xbox 360!).

I got an e-mail on Thursday from ClickPerks saying my Nintendo Wii had been shipped out, but I wasn't expecting Nick to arrive this afternoon after going to the post office and it had already arrived! I ordered in a component switch box and Wii HD cables from Amazon on Thursday but they're not here yet, so is a bit cramped switching cables around manually!

The Wii is ridiculously good fun though - I've wanted one since November, but I can't exactly just keep popping down the local game store or electronics place like Best Buy, and buying them online is almost impossible! Seems a bit better if you're willing to buy a bundle as Gamestop are starting to sell them this week. But, thanks to ClickPerks, I've now got a PS3 and Wii sat next to my Xbox 360

Not sure how long Wii Sports will last before the novelty wears off, but Kat, my wife, just loves creating Mii's and being able to use them right away in the games! The motion sensing controls and simple pick-up-and-play idea works really well - Kat's never been all that interested in the Xbox 360 or PS3 due to the controllers and the games themeselves, but she really likes Wii Sports. Creating Mii's is fun, and being able to then transfer them to the Wii controller then via Bluetooth to the MacBook is fun too. You can see my Mii at the end of this post.

Hopefully the component switch will arrive in the next day or two so I can hook up the Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii through it and just use up the one component input on my HDTV. Kinda sucks the Wii only came with a standard composite cable, but it was only $20 for a set of component cables. I ordered in Wii Play so I could get an extra Wii controller and some other cool little games, but that only got shipped out today. It's also a bit disappointing you only get one controller with the Wii when the idea is the Wii would be a social console. I remember the original NES coming with two controllers so you could play right away, pretty sure the SNES was the same.

But, gonna head over to school tomorrow afternoon and build a little shelving unit to hold all the consoles and accessories as I've pretty much run out of space now on the little TV unit we've got!

After a few days of heavy gaming on the PS3, I've got to say I'm thoroughly disappointed. Considering Sony had so long to bring the PS3 to the market which was primarily caused by delays in blue-lasers for the Blu-Ray drive rather than Sony having problems assembling hardware or ironing out bugs in the software, it's just not good enough. Given the fact that they also had plenty of time to fully go over the Xbox 360, I'm at the point of not wanting to play the PS3 anymore.

It's the little things that all add up. Aside from the slot-loading drive failing right out the box and taking over a month for the exchange process to go through and get me a working unit, Blu-Ray discs only play at 480i anyways. My HDTV won't do 1080p, but it should fall back to 720p or even 480p, but no - 480i. They look worse than a standard DVD. I've changed a couple of settings in the XMB, but still nothing. I can't be bothered to fiddle anymore. I've already purchased the Sony component video cables, and as far as I'm aware you only need an HDMI capable to output copy-protected titles if running at 1080p. So basically Blu-Ray support is crippled - why suffer all the delays waiting for enough lasers to ramp up production and then charge $200 more than the Xbox 360 for the privilege?

Moving onto games, MotorStorm suffers terrible loading times which detracts from the enjoyment. I had enough time to go to the bathroom and get a drink from the kitchen whilst waiting for a game to load. Even just choosing a vehicle can be 10-15 seconds. A limited number tracks is bit poor, but single player is entertaining and pretty good fun for a few hours. But, there is no split-screen 2-player. It's 2007, and that's just not a joke. Thinking it was just MotorStorm, I tried F1 2007 - same thing, no split-screen 2-player mode. For me, it's just not acceptable - back on the NES in the late 80's I remember playing games with friends. Gaming should be entertaining and a social affair, not one person sitting playing on their own, or 3/4 people watching one person play before they get a chance to try.

So I then try to give online gaming a go since there's no other way to experience multiplayer MotorStorm or F1 2007. Wasn't expecting much as Xbox Live! wasn't too hot on the DSL connection out here, but least I got straight into a Gears of War game and found out what the lag was like, and kept having network issues with Burnout Revenage due to the connection. That's all I wanted from the PS3 - either work and impress me, or fail and let me move on and forget about the whole idea.

Firstly, I tried signing up for the Playstation Network but had to update the PS3 from version 1.60 to 1.70 first. The XMB doesn't give any indication how big the download is or time remaining whilst trying to do this. It didn't actually take me to the update anyway, it told me where to find it in the XMB - there's no reason for that when it could fire up the update process itself and save me the hassle. Anyway, I canceled the update, check online and found it's around 104Mb so downloaded it on the computer as it's meat to be possible to copy it to removable media and update like that. I followed the instructions to the letter with two different USB drives, one of which I re-formated beforehand just to make sure, and also tried burning to CD. Everytime the PS3 said it couldn't find any updates - I'm not alone on this one, so I plug the PS3 back in to the internet and it drags on for almost 2 hours slowly downloading the updates.

Trying to sign up for Playstation Network again provided a pretty non-user friendly interface, different to the appearance of the XMB, and it wouldn't let me use the user ID I wanted, 'English Eskimo'. No indication why, so I settled for 'fouldsy'. It didn't remember my password, so had to enter that again before signing in, then finally I get connected and can try an online game. I load up MotorStorm and find there's now a game update I must apply to play. Fine, I'm used to that with the Xbox 360, and the updates rarely take more than 30-40 seconds. With MotorStorm, it took around 15-20 minutes. You then have to manually restart the PS3 and load the game up again - at least the Xbox 360 automatically does it for me.

Once loaded up again, I choose 'Online' play from the MotorStorm menu, and again it doesn't seem very user-friendly moving through the menus. Just show me a list of games I can join. Once I'm in the USA-West lobby and pick a game, it just sits me there. Tried a few different games and the same thing - the other players get themselves ready picking the vehicle and start racing, but I'm left there. I noticed the traffic light in the bottom right wass showing red - after digging online, it indicates the connection isn't good enough and so won't let you join a game. That's what I was expecting all along, but no-where in the game does it tell me what those traffic lights mean. Even so, why should game simply refuse to let me in because it doesn't think the connection is good enough? It's not going to cause massive problems for the other players, just make my game very laggy, maybe to the point of being unplayable at which point I'd simply quit. The amount of updates I had to apply was stupid just to be refused entry to games, but I guess the idea of 'you get what you pay for' is true. Xbox Live! is generally well-oiled, slick and fast, but you pay a few dollars a month for it. Playstation Network isn't all the hot, but doesn't cost a cent.

To be honest, the Playstation Network is just piss-poor and hasn't improved a great deal in 4 years. I was on the initial trial back at the start of 2003 on the PS2 and it just didn't compare to what Xbox Live! became. With the PS3, there's just no social aspect - the games aren't tracking my progress or have any kind of achievement system that makes me feel good and sync to my online profile for friends to see. Even on the Playstation forums, people have to put a line in their signature letting people know what their Playstation Network ID is as there's nothing within the forums to automatically add it. Jump onto the Xbox forums and everyone has their gamercard automatically pulled in. It just looks + feels a whole lot slicker and more complete. Given the fact Sony had so much time to develop a decent online system and haven't is just complacency and arrogance.

As much as I loved the original Playstation and Playstation 2, the Playstation 3 is failure in my opinion. It could have been 10 times what it actually is, and I'm not blind enough to focus on games coming out in the next 12-18 months as there's nothing catching my eye that isn't also releasing on the Xbox 360. As disappointed as I am with the PS3, I'm very glad I've got the Xbox 360 sat right next to it - I'll just stick to that. Maybe my expectations were too high after playing the Xbox 360 so much and drawing comparisons to quick, but hell, that's the PS3's main competitor and if it can't at least match it, how can it beat it?

Took long enough, but over a month after first getting a PS3, have finally been able to sit down this afternoon and play it! The exchanged unit got here earlier on and has worked without any problems Only minor annoyance is with the Sixaxis controllers - the USB charging is way too short to be useful for playing games whilst the controller is charging, meaning I've been siting about 6-foot away from my HDTV as the controller charges. Definately think I'll look at getting a charging station.

Been very impressed with MotorStorm - the videos such as the aerial footage of Monument Valley or of the festival itself are just stunning. Seems like showboating from the developers in terms of 'look at what we can do',  and although the visual in-game aren't quite that gorgeous (though still awesome!), it does showcase the potential the PS3 has once people get used to developing for it and harnessing the power of the Cell processor. The Xbox 360 has already shown what it's capable of with Gears of War, and it's certainly going to be interesting over the next couple of years so see which platform can deliver the best visuals!

Think I'll give F1 2007 a whirl next as that's a game I'm really looking forward! Still have Resistance: Fall of Man from Gamefly too, so can give that a blast over the next week or so as well!