Wonderful news out of GDC this week! Microsoft is hard at work on the next Xbox, and could give a shit what developers–you know, the guys who design the games–think about it.

“I get the impression they’re focusing on owning the living room,” said Warren Spector. “One device that lets you watch movies, television and play games and music and all that stuff.

Imminent fail achievement, unlocked!

This attachment was cooked and ready at E3 last year, and now it’s conspicuously absent from anything and everything Ninty puts out these days. What’s the deal?

My guess: It’s not the hardware that’s the problem, it’s the software. Dozens of developers and publishers are clamoring to grovel at Nintendo’s feet right now after backing the wrong horse for the past two years, and I imagine a large part of what they’re saying to Nintendo is “let us develop some games for you and this MotionPlus thing.”

Meanwhile, Wii Sports Resort will blow them all away anyway.

Seriously. Can I become an analyst now? This guy literally only exists because of lazy blog reporting. His “analysis,” such as it is, consists of little more than red meat quotes for small minded people. He’s been wrong, literally, about pretty much everything relating to video games for the past three years. Douche.

Dear IGN

10 March 2009

Putting out blatantly false information about a company that *could* be true just so you can say your “inside info” elicited some kind of response from said company is not “breaking news.” It’s just being a page view-whoring group of douche bags.

Wii MotionPlus, Nintendo’s final nail in the coffin for its competitors, may have been delayed.

It worked fine at E3, and several third party developers are pimping its functionality in their upcoming games, so what I think is happening is two-fold.

One, it was delayed,from spring to June. Two, IGN is once again whoring for page views. Success!

Why are the publishers and developers with the worst games the ones complaining the loudest about used games? The mind simply boggles.

GameStop is scared

6 March 2009

Why else would its CEO fire off a near-instantaneous response to Amazon’s experimental used game buy back program? GameStop stock tanked yesterday on the news too, by the way.

Bend over

5 March 2009

They’re asking $250 for the premium Beatles version of Rock Band? Harmonix knows that rhythm games aren’t cool anymore, right?

Deep thoughts

5 March 2009

Do we all really, seriously believe that the PS3’s only problem right now is its price?

First the evil Toys R Us starts a used game program. Then, Best Buy restarts theirs in select markets. Now, eCommerce mega giant Amazon is going that route too with a new mail in service for used games. Golly gee, I hope the developers and publishers can survive this terrible affront to their way of life!

More seriously and with less sarcasm, here’s some free advice: Make games that are worth the ridiculous development budgets your games have today, and then, on top of that, stop charging $60 for schlock.

Meanwhile, Nintendo remains mum on all this because they make games that are supported by appropriate budgets and price tags.