StuffWeLike

Blockbuster releases to be more spread out in future, says analyst

It seems that gaming publishers may finally be getting the message, shouted daily from countless enthusiast web communities, that we want to play good games all year round, not just in the fall. About damn time too; when a quirky, niche Atlus title is the most exciting release for three months, while the next three feature Mario, Mass Effect, and Uncharted, there’s something wrong. Thankfully, the SimExchange’s Jesse Divnich says there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.

A broader release schedule could positively affect retailers such as GameStop and make them more attractive to the investment community as they will have more months of strong sales to hedge themselves against any negative short-term economic factors

It’s the same logic we enthusiasts have been using against game developers for years: while releasing at the end of the year is good for those who can stand out from the pack, just as many titles see decreased sales from increased competition. The logic hasn’t changed from last year, and sales numbers this holiday season were up from last year, so why expect change? While Jesse doesn’t offer an explanation for the publishers’ change of heart, he does provide ample evidence for his claims.

Before the first half of 2008 ends, we can expect the release of AAA titles such as Super Smash Bros. Brawl (expected to achieve 13.95 million units of GLS [global lifetime sales]), Wii Fit (expecting 8.7 million units of GLS), Grand Theft Auto IV (expecting 17 million units of GLS), and Metal Gear Solid 4 (expecting 4.7 million units of GLS).

While I’d be surprised if even half of that list actually releases in Q1 or Q2 2008, the point is well taken. This year’s early releases are the best recent memory. Call me cautiously optimistic that, burned by flops like Stranglehold and Blue Dragon, publishers will be less likely to flood the retail channel around the holiday season.

For more, see here.

NBC Videos Get a new player, it’s not Hulu

NBC has updated its video site with a brand-new player. These videos differ from it’s Hulu.com website as they are news oriented rather than fictitious shows.

Apparently NBC has truly learned how to go web 2.0! It’s allow third party websites to be able to embed their videos onto their own pages. Ok that’s not really an original idea or that exciting, but the player itself is responsive and the video quality is great. Of course there are ads and there is no way for video embedders to earn a percent off of the views they bring to these clips.

NBC definitely has the content that people want to watch, but if they could build a network like the AP’s The News Room – bloggers would be all over this service. If a website is bringing in viewers to your content, they should receive some sort of credit for doing so. The future for online video is going to be perfect for both content producers and syndicators, if syndicators are able to receive royalties for bringing views to ad supported videos created by the content producer.

We here at StuffWeLike will at some point have this capability for our media player The Pipeline so it’ll be interesting to see how that affects the usage of it.

Man loses Thumb, then Replaces it with Toe

Usually I’m not the one who calls things stupid, but this is just one of those stories that makes me wonder WTF?! I’m sure that adjusting to life without a thumb is tough, but why would you cut off your toe to replace it?

No gloves will ever fit your hand. Do you think your girlfriend will want to go out with a man who has a toe for a thumb? How do you pick your nose? When you reach up your toe will get in the way…

2008 has just begun and we already have a stupid real life story. Looks like it’s going to be a fantastic year.

2008 Better Than 2007?

So, another year has gone by and yet another holiday season full of awesome games has passed us by. Usually right about now I’m still playing all of the games that I bought over the past two months and I think to myself, there’s no way that next year can be any better than this one. This holiday was no different from the others in that aspect except for the fact that I actually think that it’s true.

How can next year possibly be any better than this past year? With AAA titles like Halo 3, Bioshock, Super Mario Galaxy, Call of Duty 4, The Orange Box, Rock Band, Mass Effect, yadda yadda yadda. The list goes on and on. Hopefully I’m wrong in that next year will be better than this one and the continuing trend of games becoming more sophisticated and more polished continues as more and more people pick up video games every year.

Developers will definitely have their work cut out for them this year. Hopefully they’ve got something up their sleeves.

CES 2008: Wii Wireless Nunchuk from Nyko

While we love our gadgets we hate wires. They are the bane of technology; always getting tangled up as if by magic. So it’s a good thing Nyko has unveiled a wireless Nunchuk for the Wii.

There’s just one little problem. After stories of Wiimote related accidents in the home doesn’t this make the Wii’s controls even more deadly?

CES 2008: Altec Lansing unveils iPhone compatible audio system

Much like the iPod and its many, many incarnations we can now expect to see hordes of accessories for Apple’s latest tool of world domination. The iPhone, which is possibly more famous for being an iPod with a phone than the other way around now has its own audio system.

The Altec Lansing T612 universal dock will happily play any music stored on the iPhone and even stops playing should you receive an incoming call. When you’ve finished chatting away, simply dock it back in to resume listening pleasure.

According to the manufacturer, the system promises excellent bass reproduction and rich sounds thanks to powerful neodymium speakers and bass enhancement technology. Good news for Hip Hop heads then.

Of course it’s not only iPhone compatible. It will also play and charge all new generation iPods as well as older models thanks to an auxillary-in jack for not-so early adopters. Also in the box is a remote with the standard features such as pause, play, track back, track forward and volume controls.

The Altec Lansing T612 will available next month for $199.95.

Even after CES we’re sure this is not the last we’ve heard of iPhone docks. We’ve seen iPod docks in a range of different places from beds, coffee tables and even toilet roll holders. So expect iPhone docks to pop up everywhere too.

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