The Resolution Wars - We all lose.

It seems we can't go longer then 24 hours without a new article asking if a new game is 1080p or not, and what that means for the game or the system it's on. And when a game is 1080p, we talk about frame rate, up-scaling vs. native, and whatever other numbers we can think of.  But why?  Is it really important?  Do more pixels make a better game?  I tried to examine this trend in the gaming industry as objectively as possible, without making it about the consoles themselves.  This is what I found.

Smoke and Mirrors

What’s the name of the regulating body that tests a game when it claims to be “1080p, 60FPS”?  What’s the agreed upon standard for how much of the game needs to be at the resolution and frame rate?  What’s to prevent someone from saying a game is 1080p/60 because a pre-rendered cut scene is in the game at that resolution, or because at one point there are two 1920x1080 frames drawn 1/60th of a second apart even if it never happens again?  Nothing at all, obviously.  As with any unregulated marketing buzzword, the more we tell publishers that saying a game is 1080p is more important than any aspect of a game itself, the more we are going to encourage some shady marketing.  Sony is already facing a law suit (which recently got the green-light to proceed as a class action) over the use of ” temporal reprojection”, a tactic to make a game look like it’s producing a solid 1080p image when it’s really not.  A lawsuit that they will almost certainly win by simply arguing what I said above; 1080p is a meaningless claim they are under no obligation to deliver on.   Diablo’s console port takes this creative resolution labeling to the next level as the game was built from the ground up to be able to claim 1080p/60 without ever having to draw 1920x1080 pixels 60 times a second .  Instead, the game renders the camera control image at 1080p/60 independent of the actual game play.  This allows the game to effectively drop frames without slowing down.  It also prioritizes drawing the pixels closer to the players focus (the character) and will sometimes fail to refresh the sides of the screen without dropping frames completely.  I’m not calling Blizzard out as being deceptive for this and these tricks are used fairly infrequently in the final build of the game, but it’s clear they devoted a significant amount of time, money, and tech wizardry to ensuring the 1080p claim above any other priority.  And was it worth it?  The answer looks to be a definitive no.

We live in a world of day one patches, which sometimes gives us a window into the game that could have been.  For Diablo, both a 900p and a 1080p version of the game that were available to the media and review sites for almost a month before the day one patch upped the resolution (I’m deliberately ignoring the fact they were on different consoles because that’s not what this is about).  The 1080p version saw game play frame rates drop as low as 40PS and notable visual hiccups, while the 900p version ran a flawless 60FPS.  Upon release, a patch brought both versions to 1080p and significantly reduced the frame rate problems at that resolution ... but didn't eliminate them.  From an objective, numbers to numbers  standpoint The 900p game simply ran better. So why aren't we playing that?  Why didn't the day one patch LOWER the resolution of the flawed 1080p version to the flawless 900p restitution, instead of focusing on fixing as much as possible at the higher resolution?  Microsoft and Sony knew that would never cut it.  They need to listen to the players, and the players didn't want the game in a lower resolution simply because it was better. We want the game it in the resolution that we've made our holy grail.  And why wouldn't we?  The 1080p experience is visually superior to 900p , and that’s a good thing.  Unfortunately for that argument, almost every site that had access to both the 900p and 1080p game say there is no noticeable difference in visuals, with a few even saying the 900p game lookedbetter because of the way the tech wizardry I mentioned earlier interacted with dense particle effects and busy fights.  Some did their best to point out subtle differences that justified the focus on resolution, but no one talked of dramatic, earth shattering differences.  This shouldn't surprise us however; we known that for years.

Meaningless Numbers

1080p is shorthand for “One thousand and eighty lines of resolution, scanned progressively”, and based off that alone we already have a problem.  Progressive refers to the way a television creates an image by drawing every line when it refreshes, as opposed to “interlacing” which only draws half the lines every refresh.  It’s almost meaningless in discussing next gen console resolution as DX 11 and the Xbox One don’t support interlaced output (the PS4 has a 1080i option, but it simply exports the image at 720p). What we are really talking about is 1920x1080 resolution, which seems a lot less "next gen" and important given that's the resolution 90% of our PC monitors have been in the for the last 5 years.  Yet we'll continue to say 1080p even though the "p" is meaningless and we are all more familiar with just the numeric resolution, because the buzzword is far more important than the reality. It's an attempt to make this number seem like a magic sweet spot where things are either 1080p or horrible.  To the shock of absolutely no one, all the evidence we have says otherwise.

The most popular study on the benefits of higher resolution  is this handy chart compiled and sponsored by the manufactures of high resolution TVs, a group that would have no reason whatsoever to mislead you.

Even they show restraint, noting that it would be difficult to see the difference between 720p and 1080p (let alone 900p and 1080p) if you are further than 7 feet away from your TV, or its smaller than 50 inches.  Blind tests of this theory are almost impossible to find, with PC Magazine and Consumer Reports being the only two major media publications I could find that put people in a room with unlabeled TVs at difference resolutions and asked them to pick which one looked better.  In both cases, the result was statically insignificant*, with only 56% and 54% of the group correctly identifying the 1080p TV as having a higher resolution.  Blind test of screen shots on blogs are more common (I’ve even run one myself) and time and time again they give us the same message; the results are no better than guessing.  More importantly, when a control is added (some people are given screenshots that are in fact identical) the number of people who report a difference vs. the number of people who don’t doesn't change**.  In a phrase I never thought I would hear myself saying,  it looks like web comments might give us all the insight when need into why this is happening.  On gaming sites, where the comments are generally defending why the console they bought is better than the one they didn't, the vast majority says they can easily see a difference. On TV websites where the comments are generally defending the low cost TV someone bought instead of a higher priced alternative, the vast majority say they can’t see any difference at all.  The bottom line is that for most people in most situations the difference between 720p and 1080p is at best negligible and most likely simply confirmation bias.  This isn't to say there is no difference.  Right now my face is a few inches from my monitor and I’m sure I would notice if someone set my resolution to 800x600 while I wasn't looking.  However the numbers tell us that in any given conversation the guy who is telling you the difference is obvious is much more likely to be doing so based on bias then fact.  As damning as it looks, this isn't even the finial nail in the resolution coffin.

1080p is a measure of graphical density, not graphical fidelity.  I could use 2,073,600 pixels (1920x1080) to draw a stick figure, but few people would say it was as visually pleasing or artistically sound as a 921,600 pixel (1280x720) image of the Mona Lisa.  In video games, the developer gets to make this choice based on what they think is important.  You could make a simply looking game run fantastic on any hardware, or a great looking game by lowering the resolution or frame rate. For high end, AAA games where we demand photo-realism a developers can still “dumb down” the fidelity in subtle ways to hit 1080p/60 rather than focusing on making games that actually look better and push the limits of the hardware.  This should be obvious to anyone who’s ever used a computer.  Games run at the same resolution as you desktop, and you pick the frame rate by playing around with graphical option.   The Wii U has a wide range of 1080p/60 games despite being vastly inferior to the Xbox One or PS4 from a raw power perspective, so even people who game exclusively on console should understand this point.  Yet gaming sites are constantly reporting the resolution of minimalist games like The Binding of Isaac of Spelunky without any context or explanation when not only would these games look identical at lower resolution (due to using low resolution textures) but are so visually simple they could achieve 60FPS on a 386SX-66***.   In doing so they are spending a clear message; we don’t care about HOW games look.  We just care about the number of pixels.  I don’t see how this can possibly end well for us.

The final word

In 2016, Nintendo will release a console that reproduces 8-bit Nintendo games in 4k resolution at 240 frames a second, and will declare itself the winner on the console wars.  Next year, Sony will redesign the PS4 game package to include “1080P” in 800 point, Rockwell Extra Bold font at the top, with the games title in superscript.  At E3 2015 Microsoft will show off “Halo EXTREME”, a re-skinned port of the original “Quake” running at 4k with the tag line “It’s got more pixels then Kill Zone, shut up and buy it”.  Soon trailers will just be voice over against a black background, while frame rate charts and pixel counts are shown in place of game play.  This is the world we seem to be creating, a world where being able to say the graphics from console you bought or the game you developed are objectively bigger than others is far more important than how anything actually looks.  We need to take a step back, and stop reporting on games to appeal to the vocal minority that cares about what system a game is on more than the game itself., because that's all this is about.  The Wii, the most successful console of all time, didn't even have component output because it played all games in 420p (a resolution you might remember from 1970 VCRs).  Not once in all the years it co-existed beside the 360 and PS3 do I remember a single article highlighting 720p resolution as a feature, a benefit, or a reason that a game was “better” on a different console.  We still had flame wars back then, but we compared the features of the Xbox 360 with the features of the PS3, talked about the value of 1st and 3rd party exclusives, and generally focused on how to improve game-play overall by trying to prove our system had the better games (and better ways to play them).  I never thought I would look back at this as the "good old days", but a spade's a spade.  Back then, the gamer community was unified in a message that we needed more innovation, more investment in studios and better online play.  In return, we got franchises like Uncharted, Gear of War, and Kill Zone, as MS and Sony both spend millions investing in the studios they thought would put them ahead.  Today we get 1080p ports of games you can get for $1.99 on Steam.

We are sending the wrong message, and we need to stop.  We need to go tell developers we don’t want games that are 1080p if that resolution comes at too high a price, and we the compromise in Diablo should be a rally cry.  We want games that are fantastic to play, have great frame rates, and look beautiful.  Is that means a lower resolution, that’s fine.  All games start to look better as the console generation gets older anyways, and winning the "resolution war" will be a shallow and shot lived victory regardless.  But for now, I guess I'll go back to playing a game made deliberately worse to make Fanboys happy.  This would make me sad but ... hey ... it’s Diablo  It’s still freaking awesome.

*The number of people who correctly identify 1080p as being higher resolution is no higher than what we should expect if we used a random method, like drawing from a hat.

**Only 20% of people will report they see no difference between the two images, even when there is actually no difference between the images.  In other words, 80% of people will report there is a difference when there isn’t one.  This is called conformation bias, the human tendency to report any “result” over reporting no result.

***Citation needed

Against the Flow: July

At the end of the month I like to take a look at what the industry is talking about and see where I'm going against the flow.  These are opinion that seem to be prevalent in the industry with both fans and insiders, but I just can't seem to get my head around, important questions that are not being asked, or opinions that seem to run counter to what everyone else is saying.  This month, I'm going to skip how I disagree with pretty much everything anyone is saying about DOTA and leave that to two articles I plan on posting later this month.  As for the rest of the "big news" ...

I don’t understand why we care about “PlayStation Now”

I've already posted a break down of the pricing and will be recapping that and the marketing Sony is doing later this month, but on a much simpler level I don’t understand why any “gamer” cares in the slightest about the service.  It’s a streaming service, and as such, requires a constant internet connection to use.  If I remember anything from the months that followed E3 2013, it’s that no gamer alive would EVER use a service that required an constant online connection, regardless of the benefits it offered.  This became the defining ideology of the PlayStation nation and nothing short of a battle cry; anyone who would put up with an always online requirement to play games was an idiot, and any company that would ask gamers to do that was worse than Hitler.  They are hundreds of thousands of comments on 10s of thousands of websites archiving this universal belief … but now being online 24/7 is all honky-dory?  What happened to the “what if my internet is down” arguments?  With PSNow an outage not only means you can’t play but you lose the money you paid for the timed rental.  What happened to the arguments about internet quality?  Without fast internet, PSNow is a horrible service, and when we were talking about an online check it sounded like everyone's internet was so slow and unreliable it would be impossible to send a few megabytes every month or so without major headaches.  Yes it’s clear that what Microsoft was doing with aggressive DRM was different (and subjectively much more “evil”) then a service with a technical requirement to be online all the time … but the arguments, if valid to one, are valid to both.  Unless everyone, including top tier media sites, was just making up objections to make something look worse than it was and feed the console wars to drive up clicks …but that would never happen.  In fact, the gaming community should find so little value in this service that I’ll even take it a step further …

I don’t understand why “PlayStation Now” is being offered on PlayStation.

With the exception of Colin, who would respond to Sony forcing you kill you first born child to continue using PlayStation products with an article about how wonderful it was that Sony was doing its part to deal with overcrowding, there is not a lot of positive being said about this service.  And that’s sad … because not only is it great, it’s great in the “big f’ing” deal kind of way, and might just be the most significant thing to happen in the gaming industry in years.  The next time I tell my non-gamer friends about a game like “The Last Of Us”, that has universal appeal well beyond its strength as a game, they’ll have an option to try it out without having to invest $300 in a new system.  With PlayStation Now, they can just steam it to a tablet or Web TV.  PlayStation Now isn’t only going to make Sony a lot of money on its own, but it’s a window to show the non-gamer how much gaming has evolved, and how the media can be enjoyed by anyone.  It’s going to solidify in the minds of millions the idea that Sony PlayStation is where they should go to become “new gamers”, a strategy that worked out rather well when Nintendo tried it with the Wii.  Microsoft has no counter; they tried to do the same thing by making the Xbox One the “living room device” and offering TV functionality and original programing, but failed miserably.  PSNow is not only going to be a huge win for Sony, it’s going to beat Microsoft at their own game … or at least it would have.  Instead, by releasing on PS3 and PS4 before showing in to the non-gaming world, the perception of an overpriced service that’s WORSE than just buying games is going to be so prominent in media that by the time it gets in the hands of the generally population it will already be a bust.

For 80% of the population, trying the one game a year you’re going to be interested in on PSNow is a much better option than investing in hardware, but Sony asked the other 20% to test it out for them.  Not learning the lession they so brutliy taught Microsoft just last year (most non-gamers still think the Xbox One requires an online connection even to this day), Sony is going to be stuck with the label the internet gives PSNow in it's infancy, and it's not looking good.  Objectively, a low cost alternative to console ownership for the people who are only going to play a few games a year is a very nice thing, and the internet can’t have nice things.  Especially when they are subscription services.  On that note …

I think EA’s subscription service is fantastic (even without games)

When EA announced they would be offering a $5 a month or $30 a year service on the Xbox one that would come with $10 off all games and DLC from EA, up to 7 days “early access” to EA video games (without having to pay for them) and a small collection of free games, it was met with cautious optimism.  Given the internet’s relationship with EA (voted worth company in the world 2 years in a row) cautious optimism is pretty darn good.  The uncertainty everyone seems to come back to is what games will be included and how will they work (will they expire and only be playable for limited periods of time).  To that I counter … Who cares?  Just doing some simply math, a $30 a year service pays for itself as soon as you buy $300 worth of EA games given the discount. That might seem like a lot, it’s a perfectly reasonable amount to someone who is so into gaming that a few top tier games at $30 a year might not be worth it.  More importantly, up to 7 days to try out FULL RETAIL COPIES of new games before they are released with progress carrying over to the game if you buy it has so much value add, it could be the whole service and I would still pick it up day one.  Games, like movies, are all about being the first to experience them … and you already know that, internet.  When Sony said PS4 owners would get to play the BETA of Destiny a few days early it was the death of Xbox One, and any time a games offered a “limited edition” that came with a day or two of early access for $20 or so, it sells out.  This isn't a new thing.  We want early access, it’s important and news worth every time it’s offered, and we are willing to pay crazy amounts of money for it in the rare cases it’s offered.

EA needs to re brand this service “EA early access” and call the other two features a bonus.  Maybe then we'll be able to see how fantastic it really is (and maybe Sony will let us decide for ourselves if we want it)

Did I miss anything?  What did YOU notice this month that everyone else seemed to miss?  Let me know in the comments!

E3 2104 Recap - How did everyone do?

I hope you had a chance to read my reactions to the press conferences as they were happening.  With E3 over and a chance to reflect, I’m ready to give my opinions of how everyone did in a more thoughtful manner.  No letter grades and no winners, just a rundown of what happened and what it means, as objective as possible.  I've presented each in the order in which they appeared.

Microsoft – Hurdling the lowered bar

As the self proclaimed avatar of objectivity, I don’t think it’s possible to “Win” E3.  It’s just too subjective to be meaningful, with every vender at the show having a very different job to do and strategy to do it.  But man, can you lose E3, and that’s exactly what MS did last year.  They delivered a core message of “screw you, you’ll buy what we sell you and like it”, and it overshadowed everything else they tried to do.   The game line up last year was one of the best we’ve ever seen ... but not one single person cared.  The only thing that mattered was the baffling decision to doubled down on unpopular strategies and policies while coming out with a price point inflated by technology that they didn't effectively sell us on.  As such, coming into this E3, the good news for Microsoft was the only thing they needed to do to have a relatively (compared to last year) good press conference was not shoot themselves in the head, and to have a GREAT press conference they just needed to avoid shooting themselves anywhere at all.  Mission Accomplished ... but was it really a victory?

Without Question, Phil showed more class they we have seen at E3 in ages.  He started the show off right; first thanking Nintendo and Sony for being awesome, and moving on to thanking Fanboys for complaining and making the Xbox better.  Then he was done talking.  He said the conference was going to be “all about games” and he delivered.  Clip after clip after clip came at us at a frantic pace, with a good mix of exclusive content, first showings, and announcements.  It was a great show and apart from a poor showing of Fable legends I enjoyed all 90 minutes of it, and wanted more.  In the end, I was excited for gaming after seeing call outs to developer’s and presenters favorites games regardless of platform, and seeing the end of the made up “console wars” in Phil's opening statements.  I was also excited for some big name games, with assassin’s creed getting a fantastic showing and dragon age getting a fantastic trailer.  I was excited for Microsoft, how seem to have found the right man to lead Xbox division, and are doing everything they can to gain back the loyalty and momentum they lost last year.  One thing I wasn't any more excited for, however, was the Xbox One.

It’s not that Microsoft didn't do a great job of showing me exclusive games that I’m going to want to play ... they did that.  It’s not like they did a bad job of showcasing reasons to play multi-platform games on their console ... they did that too.  They even showed a game that, if I didn't already own a Xbox One, I would happily buy one for in the Master Chief edition.  They did a great job selling what was on stage, but it all came at a cost.  The strategy of showing nothing but games wasn't a brilliant show of tactics, it was a simple necessity.  2 years ago Microsoft was talking about a revolutionary new “living room device” that played games almost as an afterthought.  It would connect our world, allow us to share games with friends, pave the way to a new digital marketplace, and use the “magic of the cloud” in ways that would push gaming into a new realm.  It was a vision I was very excited about.  Last year at E3 they failed to sell us on that vision, and this year they retreated from it all together and for every bit of excitement Microsoft built around gaming, I lost just as much excitement about the future of gaming I was promised by a company that now seems content to fall back to the past.  The net change was zero.  I’m excited about the Xbox for new reasons, but not any more so.  They didn't bring anything with a “wow” factor big enough to make me forget about all the awesome things that have fallen to the wayside.

In the end, however, I think Microsoft can be happy with what they accomplished.  In only 12 short months they have effectively recovered what they spent the last 3 years destroying; the trust of gamers.   But that’s all they had time for ... we’ll have to wait to see if they are able to do anything now that the audience is willing to listen to again, and as such it’s hard to give a final option.  The Xbox One, as it stands, is only as good as it’s next show.

Sony – 322

Oh to live in a world where I didn’t need to explain the obscure DOTA reference.  In a Starlader Match that was completely meaningless due to the two teams current placements in the standings, Solo from team RoX.KIS bet $322 against his own team and deliberately lost the game to zRage.  It’s the perfect analogy for what I saw from Sony at E3 for two reasons.  A warning to fanboys ... you are going to want to stay until the end on this one, because the start isn’t going to be pretty.

First, Solo was obviously no expert at fixing games and the way in which he lost was absurdly overt.   He drafted Hero’s that had already been countered, banned Hero’s no one played, and set up the lanes in a way that wouldn’t even cut it in a Pub.  I felt the same watching Sony’s press conference, where every decision seemed not only bad, but deliberately, comically bad.  They didn’t bother to replace Jack Trenton, a strong and respected presenter, and instead gave stage time to various VPs.  Not only was this devastating to the pacing, but some of them were just bad at speaking.   I feel some key messages about PSN, SonyTV, and Sony Now were lost to poor presenting.  They spent a huge chuck of time showing us the same content from Hard Line that we had seen a few hours ago at EA.  They showed a destiny trailer that made the game look worse than trailers we had seen before, then invited us all to an alpha which was horrible and cost the game a lot of hype it had going into the show.  They spent 5 minutes promoting someone’s graphic novel.  They showed a trailer for a movie.  But worst of all, Sony felt the need to insult me, and millions of other gamers, for no good reason.  You see, like around 50 million people, I own gaming hardware from Sony , MS and Nintendo (about 2 million of that are people who own Xbox Ones and PS4).  Where Microsoft gave me credit for loving games and shared my support for Sony and Nintendo in the opening minutes of their show, Sony though it would be better to tell me and my 50 million friends that we were idiots, and that anyone who had non-Sony hardware had been lied to, duped, and forced to buy things they didn't want.  At times It felt like a political rally where the candidate had run out of good things to say about himself and was just making sure we hated the other guy.  Sony also went over time at 106 minutes, even though they only spent about 60 minutes talking about games, and only had my genuine interest for about 30.

The floor showing was also a mess, although a much more enjoyable one.  They had on showcase an incredible selection of Indie games that, while extremely fun to play, did nothing to combat the growing concern that Sony is putting Indie ahead of AAA games.  In fact, it seemed Sony was oblivious to this (or any other) concern among gamers and answered any questions with canned deflections or shots about how MS and Nintendo don’t support indie.  They showed us Morpheus, which was an absolutely fantastic demonstration of why VR technology is not even close to ready.  But the most baffling part was how well the few AAA titles they did have looked and played, with Hard Line being a clear showstopper.  Why wasn’t there more?  Why not OWN the floor by having more big name games playable and devote more of your space to the titles people couldn't get enough of.  Time and time again the answer to “where is this game” or “can you tell us more about this” was “You have to wait for TGS”.  You know ... the smaller show that gets less air time.

All and all, Sony at E3 this year had only one message to deliver; that there was a WAR going on between the consoles, and that they we going to WIN.  The PS4 was the best console because numbers (sales, specs, price) said so, and everything else, even ... no, ESPECIALLY ... games wasn't important.  A message made far less powerful by the fact that Microsoft bowed out of that war with a message of peace just a few hours earlier, and the only other “combatant” wasn't even there.

For all the passion I put into the words above, it’s important to note that the SECOND way in which the 322 analogy is perfect is far more important; the game didn't matter.  Where the above might seem like 730 words worth of hating on Sony and PS4, you might want to read again.  There is nothing I say up there that amounts to anything more than “Sony had a bad show”.  But they didn't change any policies.  They didn't fumble the message of PS Now to the point where excitement faded.  They launched a new product (PSTV) in NA and EU, and it’s going to sell like hotcakes.  Even the annoying “you’ll see it at TGS” was the right call; the Xbox One is launching in Japan this year, with 40 strong Japanese developers behind it.  Out-showing MS at E3 wouldn't have been a huge deal, but out-showing them in Tokyo would be devastating.  Going into E3, the PS4 was a fantastic console that was selling great and had a lot of compelling reasons to buy it.  And while E3 2014 might not have added a single new reason to buy one ... it really didn't need to.  The hype and momentum is built on a solid foundation of a great product at a great price, and it’s not going away anytime soon.

I just hope Kazuo Hirai bet more than $322 against himself, he could really use the money.

Nintendo – An absurdly cute, insanely polite middle finger to everyone

If you read my blog, or even my comments, you know I fancy myself the champion of objectivity.  Writing about Nintendo this year has put that mantle to the test as I’m forced to separate how much I loved everything Nintendo said this year (my subjective opinion) with how well they used the stage that is E3 to move product and strengthen their position in the market (the objective facts).   While MS didn't really have a core message outside of “our gaming system plays games” and Sony fumbled to deliver any message at all, Nintendo spent 50 minutes delivering a message with razor precision; a clear invitation for hard-core gamers, the gaming media, and even 3rd party developers to pucker up kiss their ass.  Standing in stark contrast to MS’s commitment to change based on gamer feedback, Nintendo told everyone they were NEVER going to change, because everyone is wrong.  Games are all about fun, and if you don’t like that, they want nothing to do with you.

Introducing games with interviews from developers against backdrops like a yarn store or an aquarium was a subtle but deliberate choice.  Nintendo put the people making games front and center and gave them a chance to not just talk about what they were building, but why.  They wanted you to understand that Nintendo games are made by passionate people with vision, and that they were never going to ask them to stop being different.  That Mr. Iawata and the shareholders (with the exception of Seth Fisher) are more than happy to burn millions of dollars, cut their salaries even further, and be the number 3 player in a field of 3 until the end of time if that’s what it takes to give these artists a canvas.  Nintendo is making game for Nintendo, and they hope you like them.  But if you don’t … that’s your problem.

The most depressing thing is that it worked, if only for the people who tried it.  The energy on the floor at Nintendo’s booth was like walking into another world, and felt more like an amusement park then a media showing.  There was nowhere at E3 people were as unified.  No one cared about exclusives, release dates, resolution or hype … everyone was having a blast playing games.  But for how clear it was that there was no system at E3 people wanted to spend more time with then the Wii U, it was just as clear that message wasn't going to leave E3 and get to the consumers.  Where Sony and MS gave the media dozens of talking points, from AAA titles to new and exciting ways they are going to push the barriers of gaming, Nintendo only message was that the games are awesome, and people are going to love playing them.  And as much as they nailed that … it’s nothing to write home about, literally.  “The games are great, you kinda have to play them to understand” isn't an article most editors are going to be happy with, and this year for Nintendo … there isn't a lot more to say.

So hats off to you Nintendo.  Not only do you have the best games, you have the best message.  You stuck to your guns and have shown what makes you unique and precious to the industry.  You went 50 minutes without showing me a single game I won't be buying, and only one that’s not going to be a day one pick up.  But for all your efforts, I’m not sure you sold any Wii Us.  Mario Kart 8 will have a huge impact on sales, and so will Smash, but that’s got nothing to do with E3.  You didn't translate the NFC figure message to English very well in showing us why we need digital “high score cards” and you didn't leverage your exclusive Skylanders deal to make people feel like bad parents if the Wii U wasn't the system they buy trapforce on.  If anything, the only message you gave to people who weren't already interesting in Wii U was that it’s not going away, and you’re still committed to it.  Hopefully that will be enough.

The Final Word

E3 came and went with very little fanfare.  Sony seemed content to ride the hype of last year’s conference, while Microsoft delivered the message they should have delivered back then and did nothing but catch up.  Only Nintendo seemed to move things forward with a strong sales pitch, but one that is only going to convince Nintendo fans to gamble $300 on the Wii U, without doing much to get gamers to gamble $300 on Nintendo.  In that way, E3 2014 can best be summed up in the answer Sony gave time and again to question about where the games and news we were all most interested in was ....

You’re going to have to wait for Tokyo.

E3 - Nintendo Direct

No real predictions here ... I just expect a very Nintendo showing of Nintendo things.  The ND is too short to talk about NFC, so I think this will just be a showing of games.  Let see what we get

12:01 – Looks like they are starting with Smash, because obviously

12:02 – Everytime I see this game it looks better and better

12:03 – I really like the idea of playing a Mii in the game, this is a fantastic option

12:04 – Wow, that’s an impressive amount of custimztion, with 3 “classes” and over 20 movies to chose from when making a Mii fighter

12:05 – Reminding us that the 3DS game is almost out reminds me how horrible an idea it is to put this one on handheld first.  I think it will hurt the overall appeal of the gamel; 3DS should have been a companion app released on the same date, with its own standalone content being much less of a focus.

12:06 – That said, the 3DS games looks fantastic and I’m almost sure to pick it up

12:08 – Oh Reggie, the only person on the Nintendo team I really don’t like.

12:08 – Amiibo ... “Nintendo: we suck at naming things!”

12:09 – Skylanders and Infinity have exclusive Nintendo contact tied to NFC Nintendo figures.  That’s the biggest news of E3 by a huge margin.  Wow.

12:10 – They are Japanese arcade cards for the Wii U.  That’s a fantastic idea ... in Japan.  Harder sell in here in NA seeing we don’t already do that.

12:11 – Luigi gonna EAT YOUR SOUL

12:12 – Reggie pulling the nostalgia strings ... right in the feels ....!

12:13 – Yarn!  Only Nintendo could get me excited by showing me real life yarn

12:14 – Yoshi’s Woolly world, a distinctly Yoshi game using yarn as a mechanic backdrop.  Looks absolutely breathtaking.

12:15 – The game play is showing off ways to use yarn “eggs” to explore and open up new areas, looks fantastic

12:16 – Two player co-op, to be honest I think that’s a necessity on a home console at this point from Nintendo.  Good to see that it’s there

12:17 – Can I say that Yarn Yoshi on Wii U looks about 10 times better then Sack Boy on PS4 without sounding like a fanboy?  No?  Ok, I won’t mention it then

12:18 – OMG, Captain Toad mini game from Mario U 3D is getting a standalone game on Wii U.  My wife is going to freak out.  Absolutely fantastic way to leverage a formula that just ended up working better than anyone expected

12:19 – Did they just do a robot chicken type animation to make fun of the Mario Universe Plot?  What am I watching!  That was like ... completely out of nowhere.

12:20 – Zelda is so self-aware.  Hearing him talk about what makes Zelda great and the mistakes they have made is bang on.  Few game developers are as honest

12:21 – First shot of Zelda Wii U, looks great but too soon to call.  He’s talking about a truly open world Zelda.  Risky.

12:22 – The grass is moving and the world seems alive.  A monster just showed up and the animation is outstanding.  Interesting art style ... like Windwaker on steroids.  I think it’s going to be polarizing.

12:23 – Pokemon remakes, we knew this was coming and we knew they had to show it.  It looks like pokemon.

12:24 – Another Robot Chicken, then into bayoneta 2.  Nintendo’s lost guardian!  Looks like it’s still a thing, and visually looks great. Oh wow, it’s being packaged with remake for the first game with Nintendo them skins.  You had my interest, now you have my attention

12:27 – Hyrule Warriors ... I’m not a fan of Destiny Warriors, but I’m still interested in seeing what this game has to offer.  I think it’s a formula that could benefit a lot from the game pad.

12:28 – Spilt screen with one player using the game pad and the other using the TV!  Why can’t you do that on Mario Kart 8.  WHY!

12:30 – Wow, everything they are showing is Q4.  What a great year this is going to be.

12:30 – Showing a gamepad focused Kurby game called Rainbow Curse for 2015.  Looks pretty meh to be honest

12:31 – Showing a trailer for a mech based RPG.  Kinda blowing my mind.  I think it’s Xenoblade

12:32 – Graphically this looks better then should be possible.  I’m afraid it might be CG, but if not, the Wii continues to shock me.

12:33 – Xenoblade Chronicle X – yeah, I kinda want that

12:33 – A Mario creator where you can make custom Mario NES levels.

12:34 – OH!  Looks like you can change between New Super Mario brothers graphics on the fly

12:34 – This really isn’t my type of thing, but I can see a lot of interest in this, and I’m sure I’ll end up owning it thanks to my wife.

12:35 – Talking about “Split toon”, which looks like a paint based FPS

12:36 – It looks very interesting and very Nintendo, but it’s entering a crowded market and needs to have a budget price I think.

12:40 – Sure, this game looks neat.  But not 4 minutes neat.  It’s also not what you should have ended on.  Does anyone feel a JUST ONE MORE THING coming on????

12:41 – Not sure we need a recap of a 40 minute event.

12:42 – ONE MORE THING!

12:43 – What am I watching?  Is this a cartoon?

12:44 – Link and Pip fighting in an anime

12:45 – Oh ... just a new fighter in smash.  Sure, whatever.

12:46 – Oh snap, Maymato has the last word, but just to tell us to keep watching.

All and all this was an very strong Nintendo Direct.  Everything they showed was fanatics, coming soon, and presented well.  I don’t think they showed enough, and I think the new Zeldia is going to be a bit polarizing, but I’m personally very excited to own a Wii U right now.

E3 - Sony Main Stage

Going into the Sony Press conference, I have to say me expectations are … Mah.  I mean, I don’t expect a bad press conference, but I also don’t expect anything that’s going to be overly exciting.  Sony is going to show one or two big exclusives, and they are going to spend a lot more time on non-gaming.  We’re going to see PlayStation now in the forefront, and more Vita news then we should.  I also expect a more arrogant main stage; don’t expect Sony to be thanking Nintendo and Microsoft or the haters, and do look forward to a lot of talk about just how great the PlayStation is doing.  As a fun drinking game, take a shot every time they say “1080P”.  I’m most interesting in seeing how much 3rd party they have on the stage, given the amount of them MS gave to them.

9:00 – Sony starting late, to the shock of absolutely no one

9:03 – The opening theatrics have exactly the amount of blue I was expecting.  It’s going to be interesting to see who walks on stage first, and I think it will be a big part in setting the tone

9:04 – Looking like Destany is the first thing on stage, and that’s not shocking; this game is huge and is giving a full 4 days of beta to Sony before anyone else.  That might not sound like a big deal, but is really is; people who are interesting in things like beta really don’t like to wait.

9:06 – Nothing against Sony as it’s not there thing, but this trailer is horrible.  I’m LESS excited about the game after seeing that, and the house reacted much the same … no clapping, just puzzled looks.  The last trailer we saw was breath taking, this was lack luster.

9:08 – Speaking of House, it looks like that who we are going with.  To be honest, I would have like to see a Dev or just a paid promoter, but not a bad choice.

9:10 – They mirror the message of Microsoft, we want to be the best place to play, but say they know what “best mean”, talking to higher resolution.  Looks like I was spot on with the arrogance comment.

9:10 – Destiny Alpha starting today.  That’s great news.  Also a new Sku, a white PS4 with Destiny included.  Looks nice.

9:11 – Showing an exclusive now.  I would expect Order 1886

9:12 – What might as well be a space marine walking through a dark hallway.  Looks CG to be honest, much nicer then the game play we saw on PS4 last month.  Either that’s Sony up to old tricks, or a fantastic preview of what’s to come, because visuals are incredible.

9:14 – DON’T SHOW QUICK TIME ACTIONS IN YOUR GAME PLAY REVEALS.  NEVER.  JUST DON’T DO IT

9:16 – The game play looks genearic and almost lacking in interaction.  I don’t think this is representive of the final product, but instead a result of trying to show gameplay before this game is really ready for it.  Still very excited about this game, but want to know what I saw was produced on PS4.

9:17 – A visual trailer for new game called “entwined”.  This seems to be something Sony is able to do exceptionally well, finding new and breathtaking games with fantastic visuals early in the console life cycle.  I really like what I’m seeing here, although I’m sure it’s no more complex then Flower.

9:19 – Entwined released today at $9.99.

9:19 – The mention of the PS3 release of Entwined makes me realized that Microsoft didn’t even mention the 360 once.

9:20 – Looks like my drinking game should have been “breathtaking performance” rather than simply 1080p.

9:21 – Single player DLC for second Sun, looks like its stand alone.  Sure … more Infamous is not a bad thing

9:22 – LB3P!  The first game on PS4 my wife is going to care about.

9:22 – Visually, this in only a small upgrade from the previous entries.  Not what I would have expected.  I wonder if this is a port and on PS3 as well.

9:24 – Sony is having tech problem, to the surprise of exactly no one

9:25 – Far more charming then the spark trailer, but the multiplayer looks more frustrating than anything else.  I think this would have shown better with one person playing it.

9:26 – I like it, but again, the multiplayer is getting in the way and this has gone on too long.  I want to hear about creation tools and what platforms this is on.  Can I use my vita to make things while playing them on my PS4?

9:28 – No mention of what system it’s on, so I’ll just assume PS4 and that it will look better at release.

9:29 – Ah, that’s why it looks old, fully compatible with the old game levels, so they are just upgraded visuals.  Still, that’s a trade I’m more than happy to make.  That makes the game SO much more valuable to people who don’t have other in the series.

9:30 – From Software is showing a game as a reveal.  There was no direct mention of it being exclusive, but I think we are still in the “all these are on PlayStation only or first” part of the show.  This is big news, but JUST a tad to ninth to call a real “wow” moment.

9:31 – CG trailer, looks fantastic.  Captures the darkness and horror you would expect from From Software.  Defiantly creating a lot of hype.

9:33 – Far Cry 4 on stage, I wonder if Sony will get anything exclusive or if this is just a showing.

9:34 – Not able to get confirmation on Blood born exclusivity.  Given Sony’s relationship with From Software, my gut says it is.

9:35 – Far Cry 4 looks like Far Cry 3+.  Please don’t in any way think I mean that as a bad thing.  FC3 was outstanding and needs refinement, not reinvention.

9:36 – Haha completely unrealistic vehicle hijack that was just awesome

9:37 – Looks like you’ll have the ability to jump and parachute, that’s a welcome addition.

9:39 – They seem to be cycling though VPs.  I really don’t like that.  I would rather have one voice to get used to, or cycle though developers.

9:40 – Exclusive mode for PS4 where you can invite friends without the game to play Co-op with you.  I see no value in that, but A for effort.  I can see that having value to a lot of other people though, and to families.

9:41 – Very odd zombie game being shown.  Looks like they are going for a feel that combines Dead Raising and Dead Island, which is like going for a feel that combines hot and cold.

9:42 – Wow, that’s Dead Island 2?  I don’t think that’s the tone is a step in the right direction for the series.  Again, not Sony’s fault, and good on them for getting the showing

9:43 – Beta and character level exclusive to Sony.  Seems Sony thinks there is a TON of value in beta access first, while MS thinks think is a TON of value in getting DLC first.  I think they are both wrong, but Sony is less wrong.

9:45 – Hardline.  Yeah I just saw like 15 minutes of this a few hours ago.  It looks great, but you don’t need to show it again.

9:45 – Exclusive NFC figures for infinity.  Why even bring that up at E3?  It’s a big deal, and a great score given how valuable a partner Disney is, but no one in the room cares.

9:46 – Sony is having more tech issues

9:47 – Paradox exclusives for PS4.  I’m a big paradox fan, but I’m not sure what they can offer a console.  This looks like a Magika game.  Sure, I can get into that.  Of all the games they make, it’s likely going to work best on the big screen

9:49 – Haha, my wife joked about Sony re-making a double fine game this morning.  I laughed, and laughed and laughed.  Great score for Sony, and a great for us as gamers.

9:51 – A bunch of Indie timed exclusives.  It’s not showing as well as the @ID montage, but there are some very established teams in the bunch.  I think this will not get the credit it deserves.

9:53 – I’m not digging the letter thing.  The pace seems much slower, and it seems like there is less content then there is

9:54 – Another exclusive called Let It Die, from GungHO.  I’ll reserve judgment until I see it; it looks good, but GungHO is generally goes for the pay to win FTP model.  Mind you, they do it better than anyone else, and I enjoy a lot of their games.

9:56 – Another psychedelic non-game game from Giant Squad.  Very impressive look, and I like the undersea theme.  Timed exclusive.

9:58 – Another timed exclusive indie game

9:59 – Looks interesting enough, but not exactly drawing me in.  Looking like a simplistic space shoot / exploration game called No Man's Sky

10:00 – 2/3 of the way in, no big first party or 3rd party exclusives, but some good news for Sony on things we already knew about getting better.  I’m not disappointed, but I really hope the next 30 minutes has more AAA

10:03 – Back to House.  I have a feeling we are done with games for a while

10:04 – DRINK

10:04 – Needless shot at Microsoft.  As someone who hate the console wars, this has really turned me off Sony this generation

10:04 – Project Morpheus.  This deserves no stage time.  Thankfully it didn’t get any.  You can’t show of VR on a stage.

10:05 – Pleasant surprise as we are back to games already, with Layden on stage.  If anyone can bring a big shocker I think it’s him.

10:07 – Shut up and show us what you’re here to show us.

10:08 – Oh … PSN news.  Guess we are not back to gaming after all.

10:08 – Meaningless stats ftw!

10:09 – PS4 direct uploads to YouTube.  Neat!

10:09 – Umm … he’s telling me I’ll be able to interact with people while watching games on twitch.  I can already do that.  It’s kinda what twitch is.

10:10 – I don’t really get the core message being delivered here, and the presenter is very weak.  PSN can do networky things and that’s good?  Yes, I knew that.  You don’t need to waste E3 time with that message.

10:11 – Did he just take a shot at the Gold Pay wall?  Someone should tell him that’s a bit out of date

10:12 – “Free to play means FREE TO PLAY” follow immediately by a montage with the words “Some features available at a cost”.  Ha.

10:13 – Why is loadout in a montage!  That deserves its own stage time.  That game is fantastic and it’s coming to PS4 is big news.

10:14 – Moving on to PlayStation Now.  A great service, coming at the end of the month.  I’m interested to see they talk pricing.

10:15 – Passing the buck on pricing.  Currently, there is a 1 day, 7 day, and 30 day rental option, starting at $4.99 for one day, with a month in the $20 range.  Hopefully not talking about it is because they hope to bring that down by the time the service is live

10:16 – On to Vita.  I feel a bundle coming on!  A commitment to keep PSV as a “key pillar” to Sony

10:17 – PSTV in US and UK!  Fantastic news!  I think this is the best news from E3 this far.

10:18 – $99 price point, fantastic

10:19 – haha, PSTV uses memory stick.  How horrible.  Honestly, that’s just shameful.  Holding back the system and gamers to force the use of a failed preparatory item.  Just have a freaking HD.

10:20 – It’s all about the games isn’t it?  Which is why we haven’t talked about any for 20 minutes!

10:20 – Mortal Kombat X.  Great game, shows well.

10:24 – More non-gaming.  Original content on PS4 from Sony pictures.  Powers is a great frontrunner for the service, but again, I don’t know why this is getting stage time.

10:28 – We are still talking about Powers.  Sony has paid 10s of thousands of dollars to advertise this guy’s graphic novel, and I don’t think they are getting value for that money.

10:29 – “well get to watch the first episode for free” … wait what?  I don’t get them ALL for free?  I thought this was a value add to the PS4.   Ah, ok, I get it with PSN+.  Sure, good enough.

10:30 – ratchet and clank movie coming to theaters … they have official run out of PlayStation items to talk about I guess.

10:31 – Re-master of Ratchet and clank, re-master of TLOU.  Why’s the trailer have spoilers?  You don’t want to sell this game to new people?  Looks great … but I mean, it looked great on PS3.  I guess it looks … greater-er?  I’m very happy to see this title, but I don’t think it adds much value to the PS4, more like the PS4 add value to TLOU.

10:35 – MGS5.  Fantastic trailer, I’m sad it got leaked, this would have been a great way to end the show if we didn’t all see it yesterday.

10:40 – GTAV coming to PS4 in fall!  Great to be the ones to announcement this!  Plus the ability to move from both PS3 and Xbox 360 to PS4 is great.  If MS doesn’t mirror that, it’s a big miss for them.

10:42 – New Batman, been talked and hyped for almost a month now.  Good to finally see it on stage, but not as big as GTAV.  Not sure why they didn’t end on that.

10:43 – Sony is over time.

10:44 – Who is voicing batman?

10:45 – exclusive modes for batman on PS4.  No shock there

10:46 – One last thing!

10:46 – Uncharted.  Sure.  That’s awesome.  But … we knew this was a thing.  This isn’t a show stopper.  It’s also CG.

Well, that was absolutely mediocre.  I wasn’t impressed at any point, and I was board a few times.  All and all, I still don’t see a lot of gaming coming to PS4 that are exciting, although credit for scoring early beta’s and exclusive content for some truly high profile releases.  The presenters were bad, and the overall theme was very hard to place.  It seemed almost haphazard, like they went in thinking they didn’t need to do anything to keep the hype going, and I just don’t agree with that.  The PSTV and GTAV moments were the best of show, and I’m sure that’s not the way they wanted things to play out.

Against the Flow: May 2014

At the end of the month I like to take a look at what the industry is talking about and see where I'm going against the flow.  These are opinion that seem to be prevalent in the industry with both fans and insiders, but I just can't seem to get my head around, important questions that are not being asked, or opinions that seem to run counter to what everyone else is saying.

I think “Child of light” is horrible news for Indie developers

I really, really enjoy indie games, and have dozens of them.  I play a lot of video games “for work”.  Sometimes I’m writing an article or a review, sometimes I’m just playing something because it’s so relevant to gaming that I won’t be able to blog effectively if I haven’t experienced it.  Time is a huge factor, and it’s not often I get a chance to just play something for no other reason than the game itself.  “A” list games rarely work for me.  Sure, I would love to put 20+ hours into Monster Hunter, Dragon’s Dogma, or any other huge game just south of the “must play” territory, but I simply don’t have the time to invest.  For this reason, I find more and more of my free gaming time going to Indie games that offer “bite sized” experiences that only take a few hours to fully digest.

The games themselves are often incredible.  As an older gamer, I miss things like turn based action and RPGs with simple core mechanics, or mindless twitch two stick shooters ... the genres no big publisher is willing to gamble on any more.  With the number of games I play, the willingness of Indie developers to try radically new ideas is also a huge plus as it breaks down the monotony of AAA experiences.  Best of all, the games are cheap.  Sure, you get what you pay for; production values are horrible, graphics are bad, and game play is never as refined as you would like, but I can live with that.  Or at least I could.

This month, Ubisoft delivered a giant “screw you” to the indie community in the form of Child of Light, a game that flawlessly hits all the high points of indie gaming with a risky genre lacking mass appeal and the bold design choice of making the entire game (even the menu screen) rhyme.  It’s also a very short game at a reduced price, but that’s where the “get what you pay for” ends.  The graphics are breathtaking, the production values are though the roof, and the game play has the refinement you would expect from a top tier studio.  It literally is everything that is good about indie titles, without any of the bad.  And I hope it’s just a fluke.  The future is not bright for the 8bit graphics minimalist platformer trying to get by on a unique premises and a $10 price tag if top studios starts green lighting similar projects.  Kickstarter was the first nail in the Indie coffin, with high profile developers turning to it to get the money for games big publishers wouldn't fund, resulting in A list games released independently (but not by “indie” studios). With the break out success of Broken Age, Shadow Run, and several projects yet to be released, it looks like the big publishers learned their lesson and are not going to say “no” quite as often.  I’m honestly not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing for us as gamer, but for the indie developer already facing long odds, it’s a kick in the head for sure.

I remember how much everyone sucks at E3

With E3 right around the corner, it’s no shock that many a message board and even a few professional articles are vigorously discussing who is going to have the better press conference this year.  And why not?  This is the World Cup of gaming, the one time of year we get to see our favorite teams firing on all cylinders and putting it all on the line with everyone watching.  Sony has a lot to live up after what most consider a dominating performance at E3 2013.  Microsoft, on the other hand, is fielding a new star player (and possible divine being) in the form of Phil Spencer and the hype train has been going full speed ahead for a month already.  We can’t even discount Nintendo this year.  Sure, they don’t have the main stage but they do have a Zelda game for the Wii U and a NFC announcement which could be the biggest thing to happen in a very long time. With all the excitement and anticipation it’s easy to overlook that the safe bet to answer to “who’s going to be awesome at E3 this year” is pretty obvious; no one.  Traditionally, E3 main stages are complete horror shows.

I’m not saying their haven’t been some highs points in the past, but when you look at E3 year over year you find most main stage press conferences are mediocre at best and there have been a  lot more exceptionally bad then exceptional good.  Even the Sony 2013 conference was a lot weaker then we are remembering it.  They started late slow, didn’t really show any games, and they were just “going though the monitions” before a single slide attacking a Microsoft misstep turned an absolutely forgettable show into the stuff of legends.  Credit where credit is due, but let’s not forget the past.  Before holding a special place in E3 history with the great “oh snap” moment in history, Sony was already famous for drawing “boos” from the audience on 3 separate occasions, awkwardly hyping PSV and PSP games that no one care about (or cheered about), showing us overpriced 21 inch TVs that no one wanted or asked for, and trying to sell CGI trailers as in game footage.  “We still don’t have DRM, and we still let you play used games” isn’t going to draw the same response it did last year, and beyond that ... there isn’t a lot of rumors in the pipe for Sony.

It’s not like Microsoft is in a stronger position.  With the PS4 outselling the Xbox One in its first year by a impressive amount, the Wii U on an upswing and questions about performance and even DRM still persisting to this day, MS has a lot of questions that gamers want answers to.  Questions they are almost surely going to ignore ... and that’s a good thing.  While everyone is speaking to  Phil’s “all about games” press conference as the perfect strategy, it really just a matter of necessity.  MS has spend the last 5 years fumbling every major communication about the direction of Xbox and the last two blundering every single aspect of the Xbox One’s branding.  I’m impressed that Phil has figured out the only real chance his team has is to shut the hell up about everything that isn’t a flashy trailer and willing to go that route, but it’s far from encouraging that he needs to do that in the first place.  At the end of E3, we are going to know the Xbox One has a ton of games coming, but we won’t know any more about how the new Direct X is going to increase performance, we won’t know if the resent GPU increase will make any difference, and we won’t know what’s going on with Kinect support for the people who bought one early.

At the end of the day, nothing will change for either system.  Arguments will be made that the Sony failed because the PS4 still doesn’t have any games, and MS failed because they didn’t do anything to show me why the Xbox isn’t just a less powerful PS4 ... and both sides will be right.  Without an “OMG” moment, nothing is going to change in the perception of gamers, and when you spend a few million dollars to do just that and fail, it’s kind of a big deal.  This year, it will be Nintendo that will steal the show ... by not being there.  After spending the last few years shipping in a full orchestra to play movements from “Symphony of the goddesses”, letting Miyamoto run around in cos-play, and jamming to some Wii Music beats Nintendo has realized that they don’t’ really get E3, and E3 really doesn’t get them.  I think we’ll see their second live stream show deliver a much more “Nintendo” message then we’ve seen in years.  And that’s a very, very good thing.

I’m not sure giving up a month of sales was a great idea

I love the Kinect.  Just the simple things; how it will log in my wife when she enters the room, allowing her to jump into multi-player without a sign in.  The ability to control Netflix with my voice while eating.  Being able to start up any game on my harddrive without having to find it in a menu.  My wife loves Just Dance, the only game I’ve ever played using motion controls.  It’s a fantastic add on, but even I would be hard-pressed to justify its $100 value to anyone else simply because it’s situational and personal.  So it’s fantastic news that Microsoft has finally listened to gamers cry for a cheaper sku without a Kinect, and the $399 Xbox One is a reality.  The response was extremely positive, with MS fanboys calling it a victory for MS as the champion of gamers by showing they are willing to listen and react. Even the most cynical Sony fanboy has to admit it shows a encouraging change in direction from the “you’ll buy what we sell you and LIKE it” days under Don Mattrick.  Just about every major retailer has weighted in as well, saying interest in the Xbox One has increased significantly.  So it’s in the books; this is a clear cut, undeniable win for the Xbox One!  Or ... is it?

Due to this announcement, sales of the Xbox One for May are a write off.  Between waiting for E3 bundles or the new $399 SKU, there has never been a WORSE time to buy an Xbox One.  This coming at a point where Xbox Hype is greater than ever, and in a month that saw the release of the first truly hyped next gen game multiplatform game, Watchdogs.  For anyone wanting to play that game day one on a new system, the choice was obvious; I can pay $500 for a system that going to be $100 cheaper in a few weeks and includes hardware that might lose core support, or I can just buy a PS4.  Rather than leverage the up-swing in Xbox press to sell more units, they told everyone to wait a while, or buy the competitor if you need something right now.  Worse, if Sony has a good E3, or MS a bad one, all the Xbox One hype from the last month could vanish without it ever translating into sales.  It’s hard to see this as anything but a misstep; there was no need to make the announcement until the SKU was on shelves.

Did I miss anything?  What did YOU notice this month that everyone else seemed to miss?  Let me know in the comments!

E3 - Xbox Main Stage

Minutes away from the E3 main stage, it’s time for some last minute perdition before I start my blog.  I think we are going to see an exclusive Shadow Run game for the Xbox One, and one big 3rd party exclusive from Activision.  Although I’m a little surprised to see Phil sporting an AC shirt in the pre-show, but knowing him that could just be a personal plug rather than deliberate product placement.  I’m also confident we are going to see a lot of independent games shown, while we will see some time on Xbox TV and other online driven programs.  What I don’t expect to see is any talk of performance.  No GPU upgrade from the 10% block, no Direct X, no “power of the cloud”.  All and all, it should be almost nothing but games.  Let’s see how it goes.

12:30 – A lot less green then I expected from the opening theatrics

12:31 – Start with Phil ... I guess there is no other way to go, but still, I’m already happy to see they didn't mess up something so simple.  This is the man we all came here to listen to.  He’s already talking about the other competitors as allies and not enemies.  What a great way to not just start this conference, but to start E3.  Go Phil

12:35 – What a great way to thank Fanboys for all the crap they flung at Xbox.  Humble, accepting, but not discouraged.

12:36 – COD continues to bring DLC to Xbox first.  Not really shocking, but if there was any year they were going to lose that it would be this one.

12:36 – This call of duty game looks a lot like call of duty.  Go figure.

12:37 – Rocket boots!

12:40 – Huge battle in a major city, looks like South Korea.

12:41 – This look to be a lot more science fiction then any pervious COD.  Robots and far future drones are everywhere, the solders are in mech suits, one just ripped a car door off to use as a shield.  It will be interesting to see how this translates to multiplayer.

12:43 – Looked fantastic, and the focus on the set piece reminds us why COD is great.  It’s almost enough to forgive them for the crap-a-thon that was ghosts

12:45 – Turn 10 is now on stage.  Not the way I would have gone.  Forza is awesome, we know that, and FH will also be awesome, but we also know that.

12:46 – OH SNAP, never mind, Nerbough Ring for free OUT TODAY is some pretty big news.  I see what you did there.

12:47 – “when you create a club”, a subtle nod to how Froza Horizon is showing much better then drive club.

12:49 – Looks amazing.  A true focus on “driving freedom”.  Clearly a winner.

12:50 – Evolve looks great, but I’m surprised to see it on MS stage.  It’s been pretty PlayStation friendly in the hype to this point.  DLC first on evolve?  Wow, that’s a shock.  Good job I guess.

12:51 – Hey look, AC on stage as the second 3rd party with game play.  I have a feeling MS is getting some exclusive content, which would again be stolen from Sony.

12:54 – Visually this is the most impressive thing I’ve seen this generation, and the period is fantastic, a world I really want to be a part of.

12:57 – No Xbox exclusive content after all.  Still, a great showing.

12:58 – Oh dragon age.  I’m not at all shocked at the production values of this trailer, but to be honest, I kind of expected game play.  Oh, a release date, and much sooner than expected.  Although that makes it even more shocking to not see game play.  Content coming to Xbox first ... again, that’s surprising.

1:00 – Sunset overdrive trailer.  What a great way to drive home the “not another shooter” game play message.  Well done Sir.

1:01 – insomniac is on stage.  Not sure how you follow that up ... not sure you NEED to follow that up.  I’m already sold.

1:03 – Game play is showing off the need for mobility and the use of interesting weapons.  Very fluid movement that looks to be single button driven.

1:04 – Oct. 28 release date.  Good news

1:06 – Capcom exclusive ... what am I watching?

1:07 – Ok, it was fun to watch Capcom make fun of themselves, but I’m not really sure that trailer landed.  I don’t know what the DLC is and I’m not sure why I would buy it.

1:08 – Dance Central: Spotlight exclusive to Xbox One.  This isn't a surprise.  Dance Central wasn't going away, and the PS4 simply can’t do it without “move”, so they are really just keeping it off Wii U.

1:09 – Fable legends ... going into this E3, this is the game I knew the most about without knowing anything able.  Let’s see if they clear up what exactly this game is about.

1:10 – Sure, sure, there is a story. I don’t care.  What the hell is the game about?  Is it multi player fable?  Is this a persistent server?  Right now this looks like every other 3rd person action game ever and there is no reason it’s called fable.

1:12 – Really?  That’s the gimmick?  There is a real time game master?  I’ve never been a fan on selling you game on the fact that you didn’t have time to build things yourself and want players to do it for you.  Don’t we already have project spark for people who want that creative experience?  Is there a campaign?  What do I do if I can’t get 4 friends to play this with me?

1:14 – “To sign up or learn more” ... what more?  I didn't learn ANYTHING.  What a horrible showing.

1:15 – Go right into spark after that?  Just to drive home the fact we are seeing the same thing twice.

1:16 – Not a bad showing of project spark, much better than last year.

1:17 – haha Conker in the Spark logo.

1:19 – Hey look, an activation exclusive.  When I made that perdition I was thinking an old, AAA IP.  But hey, I’ll take it.

1:20 – Halo.  You don’t even need the trailer, just hearing the music gets me excited.

1:21 – Looks like you might not be playing the whole game as master chief.

1:22 – Master Chief collection; this was leaked a while ago, but still fanatic news.  The details on multiplayer is all we should hear about from this point on.

1:25 – Halo Remix mode, a complete remake of halo 2, the ability to move between classic  and new on the fly ... what’s not to like

1:26 – Halo 2 multi-player directly ported ... that just sold more Xbox Ones then anything MS has said to this point.

1:27 – 100 maps, 1080p, dedicated servers ... wow.

1:28 – Halo Nightfall, the new Halo live actions series, comes with the collection.  This is an fantastic value.

1:29 – Halo is the first confirmed multiplayer game running at 1080p/60 this gen.

1:30 – WORK IT PHIL

1:31 – Although Limbo was a fantastic game, it’s hard to get too worked up over a new game using the same formula.  Will be solid I’m sure, but isn’t ground breaking.

1:32 – ID@Box – let’s see if you can brand the message a little better then you've done up to this point.

1:33 - Show the games, don’t do anything about how horrible you messed up the messaging of the program itself.  Equal parts disappointing and encouraging; you learned, but only after the damage was done to the point where you can’t recover.

1:37 – Raise of the tomb raider looks great and I’m excited.  But again, nothing exclusive to Xbox.

1:38 – Witcher 3, same as above.  CD projeck has already committed to no platform preference.

1:41 – The game looks fanatic, but we have already seen game play and knew what to expect.  I like the contextual way the game tells you to go back when you finish the quest you are on.

1:45 – Phantom dust.  Huge cult value, but they could have done better when going for cult appeal.  Still, shows a strong commitment to gamers and bringing back what has been asked for.

1:47 – Division.  I’m very excited about this game, but this has been shown before.  Again, I don’t foresee any “only one xbox” content.  Mind you, even seeing it before, this game is still very impressive.  Is that voice an NPC of a live person?

1:48 – Looks live.  Smart glass “god mode”?  Everything about this game is great.  I’ve seen it played a number of times, but every time I get more excited.

1:49 – Division DLC coming first to Xbox, plus beta is coming first to Xbox.  Honestly shocked.

1:50 – Scale bound, a new exclusive IP from Plantumgames ... not enough to go on, but the trailer looks great.

1:55 – Crack down 3.  Great trailer, great to know it’s happening, but after 2 it’s hard to call this one a guaranteed hit.

All and all I think MS did a fantastic job in that they did what they said they would. They showed a lot of games, confirmed the commitment they have to gaming, and showed some compelling reasons to pick up and Xbox one. More importantly, they did it with class; the first thing they did was thank Sony and Nintendo, and the second was to thank everyone who has been hating on them for a year. This shows a company that's found its footing, and that's a great thing.

They didn't spend any time on the exclusives we already know are coming unless they had game play, showed us some new games, and showed they have a great partnership with 3rd party.

They never WOW'd me ... but that's ok. I was expecting to be wow'd. They did make me very, very excited about Xbox.