iPod Video - Sony take note...

With the exception of the Apple IIe, I never was a big Apple/Mac fan. Beautiful design and technology from a poorly run company. Very un-tech friendly to me. However, when the iPod came out I was impressed. Here is Apple doing what they do best - fashion! It's pretty, it's ridiculously over-priced, it's... "Cool". PC guys are not cool or fashionable. Anyway, you have to give them credit. High price aside, the iPod is a very slick (and simple) little device that came out at just the right time. They adpapted quickly with many different options and models. They showed quick innovation in response to their customer base needs (iTunes / shuffle / Nano). This is a great example of a business matching up perfectly with a product.

I personally use the cheaper, more versitle (clunky/complicated) iRiver PMP which is admittadly nowhere near as sexy and portable. But I'm a nerd who wants more features. My cousins in Chicago have like one iPod for each day of the week to match what color they are wearing. My friend's dad buys a new iPod as a gift for anyone he can think of each time a new model comes out. These people are excited about iPod.

And here we go again, just weeks after the launch of the Nano comes a sexy little iPod that plays video! These guys know what they are doing! This will be a HOT item.

Now, be honest - how often do you listen to MP3's on your Sony PSP? How often do you re-encode video to Mpeg4 and watch it on your Sony PSP. C'mon, you bought the Sony PSP primarily so you could play PS2 quality games on the go didn't you? The supplied headphone cord is way too short to clip the unit on your belt and listen to music isn't it? You feel shafted by having to buy overpriced Sony Duo memory don't you? You don't want to have to re-encode every video before watching it do you? You hate the 1.5 hour battery don't you. You hate being asked to re-purchase your DVD library on UMD don't you! Where are the UMD burners and DVD convert software Sony? That would make sense.

Sony PSP should stick to making portable games. How long has the PSP been out now - 10 months? Like the PS2, the PSP is already saturated with crappy games. This is a shame since the unit is beautiful and has potential. Where are the games? Where are the good games? Where are the games really worth $40.00? Sony really fumbled the ball on this one. Focus Sony, you could learn a lot from Apple.

What I'm Playing Right Now

I buy a steady stream of video games each month. Not only do I love to play games but I also love to collect games. As any gamer knows, you might try out/rent a bunch of games over the month, but you really only PLAY and complete some. I might put in a new purchase and kick it around for a few hours and then off to the archive it goes until I feel like giving it another go. It's gotta be pretty good to share gaming time with other titles that I am PLAYING.

Today I'm going to share with you the games that have remained within reach of my assorted consoles.

1.) Advance Wars: Dual Strike - Nintendo DS
I've completed the main campaign of 26 missions and am now going through the various other challenge modes. Very addictive. This game is like crack. By far the best title on the DS to date.

2.) Ninja Gaiden Black - XBox
I wasn't able to complete the first outting on XBox but now I have renewed confidence. I actually never died enough on level 1 to get Ninja Dog status, but I'm just a little more skilled at blocking and rolling this time around. What a great game.

3.) Skies of Arcadia Legends - GameCube
Probably my single favorite game ever on the Dreamcast. This port advertised a number of new features and characters. Really it's about the same but I am loving going through it again. I'm trying to collect all items this time out. This to me is better than any Final Fantasy Title (yes that's what I said). Great characters and locations. Turn Based combat at it's finest. I'm 60 Hours into it. I finished the Dreamcast version in 42 hours but did not have every item. This is the late night pleasure that I chip away at each week.

4.) Burnout Revenge - XBox
"Just one more event..." as the hours slip away. This game is so addicting. I'm trying to get Gold medals on all events. My current status is, "Jive Turkey". Kind of odd. At least it doesn't have that lame Stryker DJ this time.

5.) Radiata Stories - PS2
This is the kind of great adventure you expect from Square Enix. Wonderful graphics, music and story.

Of course all of these are going to have to be put on hold for the next 2 weeks while I drudge through the awesome difficulty know as "Conflict Global Terror". Can't wait!