iPad: DSi and PSP's Worst Nightmare?

We've heard all about how the iPad can do wonders, but it seems as though Apple really wants to screw over every gaming company, even though they're still eons away. One of the things that the iPad is capable of is HD gaming that looks a lot better than a PSP. Plus, since it is effortless to produce an iPod Touch/iPhone/iPad game and only requires review from Apple (and we all know about how weird they are in this process) to be posted, it can somewhat damage the two portable consoles. Another thing that can make it even harder for Nintendo Wi-Fi and PlayStation Network is that the iPad now has an online gaming service where leader boards and multiplayer exist for around 800 titles. That's more online titles than the Wii and DS's Wi-Fi titles combined! However, think about it; is the iPad really going to destroy both the DSi and PSP? On the first day of its release, many stores said that they still had a few iPads to go around at closing time. Now, when the DS came out, it was sold out just about everywhere; same goes with the PSP. So, do we really want to consider the iPad a threat? I don't think we should right now, since it will be mainly used with people that don't know squat about what a tablet-PC is all about. (I'm not calling all users that.) Plus, the price is a pretty penny, so I don't think that it will be a significant threat now, unless a whole bunch of developers make really, really good games that aren't just 5-minute time wasters.

Petman's Mind...now on Facebook!

Well, we all know about the world wide web and how everything is starting to connect to it, from the Nintendo DSi to the Microsoft Xbox 360. Well, I've decided to 1-up a bit and open up a Facebook page in order to do some things that I can't do here...like show that I actually have fans and whatnot. If you don't have a Facebook, feel free to make one so that way you may become a fan (well, now it is "like"), as well as connect to your friends across the Interwebs. You can become a fan by clicking on the box on the side-bar, which you can click at any time.

Arcade, where have you gone?

The classic arcade seems to be a nearly extinct species. While there are some arcade games that seem true to the classic games (Crusin', for example.), it seems as though all is lost. Arcade games were known for innovative (at the time) controls, such as the rolling ball in Crystal Kingdom or the light gun from just about every arcade game. There are still some arcade games that are becoming innovative, such as motion simulators for aviation games. However, arcades have been in decline since the Video Game Crash of 1984, and more recently due to the popularization of home consoles. Many companies that got their start-up in arcade found the popularization of video game consoles as a source for ports of their arcade games for consoles like the Commodore 64, Atari 2600, ColecoVision, etc. Microsoft has loved the old arcade for quite a while. In fact, during the mid-'90s, Microsoft released 5 games for the PC via floppy disc from Namco. More recently, Microsoft released Game Room for Games for Windows and Xbox 360 that (so far) has games from Konami, Atari, and games on the 2600 and Commodore 64. However, there are some characteristics that these can't really bring back, such as the massive joystick and indented plastic buttons, as well as blowing off all of your quarters trying to beat some kid's high score. However, there are some nice features that are added to these arcade games from services like Game Room and Gametap, such as pausing the game where it is, rewinding to undo a screw-up, etc. Even though there are online leader boards and local multiplayer, it isn't as fun as having a whole bunch of people you haven't met before meet eachother at an arcade and compete head-to-head while popping quarters like there is no tomorrow while eating a bunch of pizza in order to obtain tickets to buy the fabled plastic, $0.05 toys. While there are a bunch of positives about newer services, those services can never replace what has been.