How much is too much?
In the wake of the PS3 Slim price-cut landslide of news, one small wound still lingers, and has now gotten worse: the PSP Go is still $249.
Now that the PS3 Slim is $299, and the Xbox 360 Elite is well on its way to the same price, the ceiling for console gaming is finally coming down. This isn't a surprise; it happens every gaming generation. But, considering the components of multipurpose systems like the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, this generation of consoles has hovered at higher prices than consoles of the past. Now, however, all three home consoles are within $50 of each other. The next sensible step would be for the Wii to take a price cut as well, and it most likely will happen this holiday season in some form (be it a real cut or a new bundle with Wii MotionPlus and Wii Sports Resort, for instance).
However, while consoles have been seeing price drops, handheld game systems have been seeing an odd recent trend--price increases. The PSP Go, which was seen as Sony's handheld comeback, actually costs more than a regular PSP, despite having fewer features. At $250, it's not just the cost of the original PSP; it's also only 50 dollars less than a PS3. The Nintendo DS Lite, which costs $129, received a revamp in the form of the improved camera-equipped DSi, which can also download more affordable games...at an increased price of $170.
Nintendo's DSi
Handheld game systems aren't just taking hits in terms of system costs, either. While DS cartridges and UMDs at $19.99 and $29.99 a pop once seemed like affordable alternatives to 50- and 60-dollar console boxed games, downloadable games on PSN, Xbox Live Arcade, and WiiWare are routinely being released for $15 and less.
As our own Jeff Bakalar reflected, handheld game systems are dinosaurs, in a sense. They hearken back to a time in the early '90s when there were no smartphones or cell phones at all, no MP3 players, no portable video outside of a Sony Watchman. A handheld like the Game Boy afforded portable entertainment that nothing else could. Now, DSis and PSPs have to compete with iPhones, iPod Touches, a flurry of other handhelds, and even the occasional Zune. Many of these can also play games now, forcing Nintendo and Sony to include features like cameras, MP3 playback, and video downloads to justify the cost of purchase.
Maybe we're calling this flatline too early here at the CNET emergency room, but are dedicated handheld game consoles on their way to extinction? We hope not. ... Read more
I popped by the MSNBC studios on Sunday morning to discuss the latest Apple tablet rumors with anchor Alex Witt. Check out the clip below.
Episode 45 of the Digital City, where we discuss the latest Apple tablet rumors and discover who besides EA has a license to produce NFL video games. Plus, an appreciation of music tech pioneer Les Paul.
Related links:
>>The Apple tablet may be under wraps until 2010
>>Can Gameloft's NFL 2010 for iPhone topple Madden?
>>Les Paul, recording-tech pioneer, dies at 94
>>Watch the Digital City live every Friday at 3pm EST on CNET Live!
>>Subscribe to Digital City on iTunes
>>Join the Digital City Facebook fan page
>>Need more? Follow Dan on Twitter!
Subscribe now: iTunes (audio) | iTunes (video) | RSS (audio) | RSS (video)
The last Madden-rival standing: Gameloft's NFL 2010
(Credit: Scott Stein/CNET)NFL game fans, we feel your pain. Ever since EA locked up video game-publishing rights to consoles and PCs, Madden has become the only game in town--a monopoly on NFL gaming that eliminates free choice and, some say, removes a competitive need for change. We played the new Madden 10, and we happen to like it. Still, we miss the days when competitors such as NFL 2K5 actually existed.
But, in fact, one still does, and it's made by Gameloft. NFL 2010 (App Store link) hit the iPhone last week with relative quiet. Not only is it an NFL-licensed game, but it's a full-3D game with playbooks and complete league-accurate rosters. In case you're wondering how this happened, EA Sports doesn't own exclusive rights to NFL mobile games. In the mobile arena, competition still exists. Gameloft currently has a license to make NFL games as well, although only on phones and not for DS/PSP hardware.
EA is reportedly preparing an iPhone version of Madden, but for now, Gameloft's title is the only real-deal gridiron action on Apple's App Store. Of course, we were extremely curious as to how it would play, especially with no physical control pad. Read on for our impressions, and check out the gallery below.
... Read more
Too much technology seems designed to actively stress us out, from checking your BlackBerry to dealing with computer security. Fortunately, there's a handful of devices deigned to promote relaxation, and I showed off a few of them earlier today on New York's WPIX-TV.
Of course, your mileage may vary with any of these, so don't come complaining to me if trying to set up your heating vibrating massage face mask isn't totally relaxing. Check out the clip below and let the chilling-out commence.
Episode 44 of the Digital City, where we welcome Radio Shack's re-branding as The Shack; talk about unemployed laptop-users being banned from coffee shops; and learn about the world's coolest personal pancake-making machine.
Plus, remember that hacking your console is still illegal under many circumstances, so watch it!
Related links:
>>We welcome our new giant laptop overlords, courtesy of The Shack
>>Meet the ChefStack
>>Modder arrest a reminder that most console hacks are illegal
>>Watch the Digital City live every Friday at 3pm EST on CNET Live!
>>Subscribe to Digital City on iTunes
>>Join the Digital City Facebook fan page
>>Need more? Follow Dan on Twitter!
Subscribe now: iTunes (audio) | iTunes (video) | RSS (audio) | RSS (video)
The Gateway NV5807u: $599.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)This week's review of the Gateway NV5807u and an in-progress review of a higher-end configuration in the Dell Inspiron 15 line raised an interesting question: is it better to configure your laptop yourself online, or buy a premade, all-in-one, retail package?
With Netbook purchases, these decisions are rarely made. The internal specs of Windows XP-running Netbooks have already been locked at the same set for months, and consumer decisions instead run to considerations like design and screen/keyboard size.
With laptops, especially the midrange, it's a totally different story. Our review of the Gateway NV5807u is up, and the Dell Inspiron 1545 review is in progress. But both have similar specs and performance, with the exception of a better video card in the Dell. The Gateway NV5807u costs a mere $599. The Dell Inspiron 1545, as configured from Dell with 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon graphics, runs $794. Both are 15-inch laptops with T6400/T6500 Core 2 Duo processors.
The knee-jerk is to favor the Gateway. It is a great package for the price, and was pretty comfortable to use here at the office. On the other hand, there is no way to add or remove features as one desires. Dell's Inspiron 15 line allows nearly everything to be customized--Blu-ray drives, hard drive, battery size, processor, graphics, screen resolution, RAM, and Wi-Fi card, to name a few. The bit-by-bit purchase process, however, can be a steep and slippery slope from what was a $399 laptop to one that looms near $1,000.
Of course, we've also recently been reviewing a number of retail laptops for our Back-to-School Roundup, some of which have been excellent values. And, sometimes, finding a good laptop model in a retail setting can feel like looking for a needle in a swamp.
Do incremental add-ons appeal to you, or do you prefer discrete, prepackaged machines, like Gateway's NV5807u, where the fixed specs potentially lead to reduced production cost and consumer savings? Do you like the freedom of choice, or the savings of a fixed box?
In the meantime, read our review of the Gateway NV5807u.
Venerable retail chain Radio Shack has somehow outlived Circuit City, The Wiz, and many others, with a mix of cordless phones, RC cars, and a hard-to-beat assortment of plugs, wires, and adapters for electronic tinkerers and vintage gear fans like myself.
The company is planning to unveil a new image, as "The Shack," in a mere 16 hours (6am EST on August 6) at launch events in NYC and San Francisco, but we're more fascinated by a few leaked images (via engadget and Metblogs) of giant laptop props that have popped up online.
According to The Shack, these two giant laptops will beam Webcam footage to each other during the launch event. We just hope we don't peek at the manufacturer's sticker underneath and find it labeled "Skynet."
Once again, the tilde key gets shafted.
(Credit: Engadget)
A marketing department rendering of a giant laptop prop.
(Credit: Metblogs )Slated to release the same week as the movie is G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra, the video game, for all major consoles.
This third-person shooter has an exclusive storyline that picks up where the film leaves off. With 20 levels of game play, three character classifications, (Commando: Does well at close range, Heavy: Possesses extraordinary shooting skills, but does it best from a distance, and Combat Soldier: Balanced between the two) and 16 playable characters to choose from. At certain stages in the game players can board drivable Cobra and G.I. Joe vehicles designed for two-player co-op mode. A total of 75 intelligence cards are scattered throughout the game; once collected they can be used to unlock characters, missions, and four PSAs
The Nintendo DS key features are: Create your own G.I Joe battles vs. Cobra via Wi-Fi. Choose from six Joe characters and five Cobra. The game promises twenty plus missions on this unique shooter for the DS.
We got to do a little hands on with G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra and it was an easy pick up. At first it seemed like a new rendition of Commando 2. The control scheme is simple, making the game fun for the casual gamer. The graphics didn't blow us out of the water, but the co-op play makes up for it, especially with power-ups like the accelerator power suit, which allows the player to become invincible and have increased firepower for a short period. During this mode you hear that nostalgic G.I. Joe theme music that just takes you back--if you go that far back.
The one complaint not only with this particular game but all movie games is that they all have a short shelf life. Due to this, we think this game would be great as downloadable content (DLC), Like the Watchman video game. G.I. Joe is priced at $49.99 for the Wii, Xbox 360, and the PlayStation3, $39.99 for the PSP, and $29.99 for the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo DS. All games will include a Hasbro action figure from the toy line. The Watchmen game is $29.99 for the new combo of the two episodic parts. "Now you know, and knowing is half the battle. Yo Joe!"
Has there ever been a movie-to-video-game title that would stand alone without the movie?
Augmented reality--in case you haven't been following, is a technology blending video cameras and computer graphics enabling you to interact with virtual creations in the real world. In practice, it looks like virtual reality crossing over into actual reality. You may have heard the buzzword, but as of late, it's becoming a serious gaming trend. At last week's PlayStation holiday preview in New York, one of the most talked-about titles in Sony's fall lineup was its hi-tech attempt to take on Nintendogs, called EyePet.
While it was definitely one of the most impressive augmented-reality game demos we've seen, it's far from the only one. Here's a rundown of EyePet as well as some other augmented-reality games of the future we're looking forward to playing. And is it just us, or is the angle of most of these titles to "make little animals appear next to you?" Clearly, if this is any indication, get ready for a whole lot more hallucinatory ghost creatures dancing on your coffee tables for holidays to come.
Eyepet (Sony, PlayStation 3)
Sony's been quietly leading the pack in U.S. augmented-reality game development, starting with 2007's bold but unsuccessful trading-card battle game Eye of Judgment. Although interactive PlayStation Eye software has been available on the PSN Store that achieves other AR effects, EyePet is their first major push at a mainstream home entertainment product. ... Read more
Former radio DJ turned
journalist Dan Ackerman grew up in the Bronx and now lives in
Manhattan. He’s covered music, technology, and video games for
more than 10 years. His latest album, Tales Out of Night School
is available now. 
Joseph Kaminski,
when not juggling the dual demands of parenthood and HD gaming, is a
life-long Manhattanite and can be found testing the latest tech in
CNET’s Lab. 
Julie Rivera grew up
and currently resides in Brooklyn. When she's not deejaying,
bartending, or fixing gadgets for friends on the outside, you'll find
her testing, troubleshooting and developing benchmarks for laptops in
the "fish bowl" known as CNET Labs. 
Scott Stein, CNET's
newest laptops editor, was born in Queens and grew up a Long Islander -
and is now raising a kid in NYC. In addition to covering games and
tech, writing screenplays, and performing improv in seedy downtown
establishments, he's also a die-hard, season-ticket-holding Jets fan.
