…so far, at least. Cynamite tested the top 12 PS2 titles in Europe (including such faves as God of War, MGS 3: Snake Eater and Guitar Hero 2) only to find that the sole game on the list that would even launch was Eragon. The other titles popped up a screen telling users to hope on future software updates and to refer to Sony’s compatibility list. I don’t know what Sony is thinking by releasing their console to Europe in its current state. This type of news will only hurt sales of the Sony Playstation 3 over in Europe. As well, if Sony plans to cut costs in North America, they will probably switch all production over to the lower cost chipset. So future gamers will have a choice.. do you want it cheaper or do you want it with more features? Sony just keeps making bad press for itself.
Yearly Archives: 2007
NIN releases Garageband files for their newest single Survivalism
This is similar to what they did with The Hand that Feeds and Only files. You now have the ability to completely construct / deconstruct Survivalism however you want to. They plan to release every song off of Year Zero like this. I have so much respect for NIN because of how much they respect their fans. By releasing their garage band files, anyone can look at the songs, analyze them, or even modify them. Although I would say for more bands to do this, I have a feeling that not a lot of bands actually make their music in Garageband. Nonetheless, this is a very cool gesture by NIN and should definitely receive huge props.
TMNT Arrive on Xbox360 Live Arcade
Thats right, The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will be making their way to the Xbox Live Arcade this week. On Wednesday, March 14, you will be able to buy the game for a mere 400 points. I believe that the timing on this arcade game is partially to coincide with the upcoming Turtles movie which is due to be released March 23, 2007 and is looking pretty good I might add. Also coming out right away is the TMNT game for the Xbox 360 which should be released March 20, 2007. This is a great time for Turtles fans! With all these Turtles announcements, it makes me want to buy the old TV shows and get out my action figures…
Freakonomics
Freakonomics is a rather unique book written by an economist named Steven D. Levitt. He isn’t the normal stereotype that fits the economist profession, he fits the nerd description and sees economics through a very different point of view. The book goes through mysteries in everyday life and then uses economics to help explain these mysteries. I haven’t yet read the book and recently just ordered it. So far, it has received very good reviews so far and is well recommended.  The author was on the Daily Show a while back and his interview really made me want to purchase the book. Amazon currently has the book on sale for $17.48 with a regular price of upwards of $34.95, although that regular price seems rather high. As well, you can request a signed bookplate from the author!
Microsoft Boosts Size of Xbox Memory Card
Microsoft announced that they will be releasing a new 512mb memory card for $49.99 on April 3rd. With the announcement also comes a price reduction on the older 64mb memory cards from $39.99 to $29.99 which still seems overpriced. My comment on the new memory card is, why stop at 512mb? They could have easily released a 1gb or 2gb card for a little more and it would have allowed for more flexibility on the part of the consumer who enjoys a choice.
The increase in memory card sizes allows for Microsoft to increase the limit on Xbox Live Arcade titles from 50mb to 150mb. This should allow for developers to create more impressive and more freedom when creating their live arcade titles. This increase was probably asked for from developers as Microsoft’s competition, Sony, does not have such a small limit. Although this new limit still pales in comparison to the Playstation 3, these two services are completely different. Sony just in the last week, released a downloadable stripped down Tekken 5 game that was close to a 555mb download. This is basically Tekken 5 minus a lot of the features. Microsoft has been releasing original new games and classic titles.
DDR Universe
I recently purchased over the last weekend, Dance Dance Revolution Universe. I am a big fan of DDR and this latest rendition on the Xbox 360 is no exception. The game features a lot of new songs that I haven’t ever heard before and I am enjoying the change-up. Overall there are more than 65 new songs, with a lot more to unlock and even more will be downloadable for a fee over Xbox Live. The cost is 100 points per song or cheaper if you buy them as a bundle. I haven’t bought the songs yet, but I figure it will help stretch out the lifetime of the game if I keep having new material to dance to.
One of my favorite features is back, the Workout Mode. I really like the idea of keeping track of how much i use the game, it allows me to see how much energy I am using playing the game. It displays the total for the day in the Workout Mode section, as well after every song it will say how many calories I burnt. It always looks good to see that the game is a form of a workout. What more can I ask for in a game? It’s a really fun game and I get the side benefit of a workout. I am definitely recommending it.
10 New Ways to Make Money Online
“So you want to ditch your corporate cubicle and join the ranks of web workers? But you have a mortgage, maybe a dependent or two, and a taste for Venti Mochas from Starbucks? You can make money in the new economy, though it might not be as easy or cushy as keeping your old economy job.”
I read through the ten new ways to make money, and it seems that for people to make money in this new internet, people have to have skills. If you have these skills its all about using them and letting people know you have them. I better make a list of what skills I have so I can narrow down to what areas I can make money online. Although I suppose I could just continue to make my money offline and spend it online. I don’t have much to worry about since I still have plenty of school left before I join the ranks.
XM and SIRIUS Merger
At long last, after much speculation and rumour, XM Satellite Radio (NASDAQ: XMSR) and SIRIUS Satellite Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI) have announced they plan to merge. This merger has been a long time coming with speculation starting many months ago. Both companies have been struggling to increase their talent lineups while increasing their subscriber counts. The merger will have to meet antitrust approval before any merger would be allowed. Although there would only be one satellite radio company, it is believed they are in direct competition with other forms of mobile entertainment like mp3 players, and mobile phones. I believe that a merger is critical if satellite radio is going to survive. It is tough for two companies to try to share in a pie that isn’t particularly large especially with big named talent like Howard Stern demanding large salaries. It will also be interesting to see how this plays out with the Canadian subsidiaries since they aren’t entirely owned by SIRIUS and XM, and they might require approval from the CRTC.
After news of the merger, shares of both Sirius and XM increased, with Sirius closing at 3.70 up 2.78% and XM increasing to 13.98 up 7.7%. Not a lot of details were released that actually explain how the new company is going to work or even a new name. Mel Karmazin, CEO of Sirius, would become CEO of the new company.  It makes me wonder how the new company will deal with having two different types of satellites, and excess amounts of terrestrial repeaters. Maybe after the merge they will attempt to move their operations into Europe??
Atari Flashback 2
I am in the planning phase of my next project. I am really interested in retro gaming, so when I saw the possibility of modifying the Atari Flashback 2 to play actual cartridges I immediately took notice.  In case you don’t know, the Atari Flashback 2 was released probably a year or two ago. It resembles an actual Atari 2600 machine made back in the late 1970’s and is about 2/3 the size of the original. It comes with 40 built-in games, some of which are rare, and unreleased.  There are even some home-brew games that have been developed by fans long after the Atari was stopped production. It also comes with two joysticks but old classic controllers work just fine as well.
The steps to my project. Buy Atari Flashback 2.0, parts to modify and add the cartridge slot, and then great success. The assembly and modification is going to be assisted by using an online guide that goes through all the steps to adding the cartridge slot. I am also planning on modifying the console to put the slot in there so it looks nice too.
**Update**
I have purchased all the parts for the modification from some Atari Distributer in California, and I purchased my Atari Flashback 2.0 from Zellers since Ebay was making me cranky. I have yet to do the modification yet, as I cite lack of time and soldering iron.
Osama Team Hunger Force
Well with the news back a couple weeks ago, with the possible threat in Boston, its time to poke some fun. In case you missed it, Aqua Teen Hunger Force was doing some publicity in Boston to promote its show. The show is on the Cartoon Network and maintains a relatively stable but small audience. When the blinking boxes started appearing around the Boston area, some people noticed them and reported them to police. They immediately suspected terrorism and destroyed a couple devices which were basically light brights. Overall they took things a little too far. Now its time to laugh at them. What kind of terrorist act is this anyway? Osama Team Hunger Force.