Console launches

So I feel like most gamers have noticed the overall lackluster nature of console launches of late.  The WiiU, Vita, 3ds, and even the Xbox One and PS4 seem to have fairly anemic launch lineups.  I was considering why this has to be this way, and ultimately I think it comes down to install base.  Launching your world-beating genre defining AAAAAAAA title that costs a hundred million dollars when the hardware it runs on is supply constrained just doesn't make financial sense.  From Sony and Nintendo's perspective, they really can't afford a loss like that, and for Microsoft, it's a matter of keeping the division profitable, Microsoft isn't trying to break into the console market anymore so they're less inclined to put a huge expensive game out at launch when they could just wait for more console to be sold. 

In previous generations it wasn't as risky because games were less expensive to produce.  Something like Halo probably broke even or made money at 500 thousand units sold.  Something like Grand Theft Auto V probably had to sell 4 million to break even.  maybe more.  If the console sells like gangbusters, there might be 5 million out at launch. If yields are good.  Also remember companies are disinclined to produce game consoles in large numbers at launch to try to maximize profit as processes are evolved to build the consoles more cheaply.  This is how Sony makes money of ps2 and ps3 despite losing money at launch.  So if you need to sell 4 million to break even and only 5 million consoles are out there, you're screwed, because I can't think of a single non pack-in game that had an 80% attach rate. 

Obviously you could have a situation like the original Halo: Combat Evolved, where the game continues to sell well for 3 years, but that phenomenon is incredibly rare, and large companies aren't willing to bet on that.  The industry has gotten considerably more risk-averse as the budgets for these games have gone up to their current astronomical heights.   Of course launch can be a great time for a more niche title to come out that is unlikely to sell crazy high numbers anyway because the lack of overall content provides more attention to the few titles that do come out.  This has worked in favor of games like Power Stone and SSX. 

Anyway this may all seem obvious, but for my friends who aren't quite as connected to the video game industry as I am, it might not be.  Hopefully this explains the more lackluster launches of the past few years. 

Rocksmith 2014

So I've been super excited for Rocksmith 2014 since it was first announced, and more so once they started holding DLC in favor of the new game.  The promises made at E3 were many: improved UI, removing loading times, a solid track list. So how did it fare?

Overall it's a fantastic product, and a huge improvement from Rocksmith, it's more polished, better looking, the UI is considerably better (but not perfect), the track list is solid, possibly the original Rocksmith track list was slightly stronger, but since you can import it for $10, it's not a big deal.  There are new features, such as tone changes mid-song, and many, many more tunings which is a blessing and a curse.

The note highway now has much better marking for which note to play when, and much improved finger positioning notation.  Overall it's a big improvement.  I have a slight bit of trouble distinguishing yellow from orange on it, but overall it's great.  Very nice to get tips on when to position your fingers as a chord instead of an individual note (for songs like House of the Rising Sun), This existed in Rocksmith, but it seems enhanced now.  Outside of the slight problem I have distinguishing color, I think one could say the interface is completely improved. 

The only possible flaw with Rocksmith 2014 that I've found is that it's not really much of a game anymore.  Songs no longer are about score and score multipliers, and while there is a score attack mode, it isn't the core mode of the game.

There also isn't a larger career, which is something I found satisfying as a player.  Overall I feel like they removed one of the big features of the game, which was an excellent progression system.  I no longer feel like I'm progressing in a fictional "rock star" career, this was a major hook which kept bringing me back to the original Rocksmith, and hopefully the frictionless UI in 2014 can accomplish the same result.  I do find it to be a bit of a loss though.

Otherwise the game is fantastic, and I still highly recommend it for anyone interested in learning guitar or bass, so far the DLC has been fantastic, also.

Surface Pro review

So earlier this year, I did a Surface RT review, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of Microsoft's tablet offering, in my biased opinion.  I do work for Microsoft and am thus predisposed to liking Microsoft products so take my reviews with whatever amount of salt you deem appropriate.

The Surface Pro is the best device I've ever owned.  The form factor and usability surpasses basically anything I've ever bought, in my opinion, it's that good.  I wanted a note-taking/sketching tablet that had an active digitizer.  I got that, plus a decent, if not fantastic laptop.  The tech blogs I read criticized the device for not fitting into any category.  It's noticeably heavier than an iPad, to the point of being slightly uncomfortable to use in certain situations where the iPad isn't uncomfortable, though I would argue those situations are few and far between.  Generally I find the iPad is too heavy for most long-term tablet holding tasks anyway.  The Surface Pro also has a smaller screen than any laptop I've ever used, and unlike the iPad criticism, it's hard to argue that the Surface Pro's screen isn't too small to be effective as a laptop.  But it has an active digitizer and runs metro apps!  

This means I don't really need to use it as a laptop.  I turn it sideways and use the dreaded portrait mode to take notes during meetings and doodle off to the side in One Note. I can use it to paint or draw as needed with several fantastic apps available for Windows 8, including Art Rage, Sketchbook Pro, and the free Fresh Paint which is actually an app that runs in Windows RT.

The other really nice thing about the Surface Pro is that you're not limited to Windows RT apps and all your legacy windows 7 apps not only run, but run pretty well.  And if the Surface Pro is a heavy iPad, it's an amazingly thin and light laptop, even with the type cover.  

I've found the battery life to be basically perfect for my needs.  I'll be out of juice by the end of the day, but I don't need to charge during the day with my workload.  Bear in mind that most of the work I do is done on a full Desktop PC, so generally the Surface Pro is relegated to taking notes. I probably get about 5 hours out of it before a charge.  I recently took it on a flight to Los Angeles, and used it to stream music over Wi Fi via X Box music, and paint some pictures, and I still had half a charge when I landed. That's about 90 minutes of heavy use, which I think is highly acceptable.

The device does get extremely hot for a tablet, but not uncomfortably so.  I have yet to hear the fan, though I've felt it blowing air out, so it is very quiet.   I'd rather not need a fan or have the device get hot, but it suits my needs pretty well.  

Overall if the battery life were closer to 10 hours, I think this device would be even better, though I find it incredibly good right now.  Highly recommended for anyone that sees the utility of the active digitizer.  

It's kind of late so apologies for the quick/dirtiness of this, but I wanted to get it out there because I am super happy to have a Surface Pro and if a new one comes out with a Haswell chip, I think you'd have to be a fool not to consider it.

Next Gen Digital Rights

So anything I say here is utterly and completely personal opinion and has nothing whatsoever to do with the company I work for.  I am obviously biased because I do work for one of the console manufacturers and I will admit that that bias plays into my overall thinking, but nothing I say here is in any way official or reflects any kind of official Microsoft statement.

So what I have to say is that I'm really surprised that gamers are so willing to embrace the notion of disc-switching in a digital era.  This is something that gamers bitterly fought on PC for nearly a decade until Steam, with the least objectionable DRM in the industry, ended up ending disc switching on PC once and for all.  Do people not remember how annoying it was to dig through discs and put each disc in the PC when they wanted to play another game?

I'm not going to try to argue that Microsoft has the best DRM situation possible, I haven't really analyzed it, but I will say it's not that objectionable to me, personally.  I understand that I'm not every consumer and others have various problems with it, but overall, it meshes well with how I tend to play and buy games.  I hope Microsoft can get its lending story sorted out soon, but otherwise I don't have a huge problem with any of it.  I'm not saying that someone who does is in the wrong, everyone's situation is different. 

What I will say is that people acting like Sony doesn't have any DRM are fooling themselves.  Sony absolutely does a DRM check on your game, it just happens to check local media instead of the internet.  And for me, that's considerably worse than a manufacturer asking to have my console online.  I am many times more likely to play different games if I don't have to go hunting around for discs.  This is a major reason I switched to PC.  And being able to fast swap in and out of games looks absolutely amazing to me.  On the PS4 there will either be some kind of check to ensure you have the rights to the game you're playing via the Internet, or via local media, or else, in the least likely case, there will be incredibly rampant piracy that will destroy the platform (this is basically impossible). 

I know I have friends who work at Sony and I am not going to say the PS4 is terrible or even in any way bad, I'm actually pretty excited for it.  That said, I plan on never buying a single retail disc for PS4.  Since all games will be digitally available day and date and since games can play while they're downloading, I'll happily buy all my PS4 games digitally rather than have to constantly change discs.  If I'm being honest I'll have to say the same for X Box One.  I probably won't buy any retail discs for X Box One either (though I might get a few free from work here and there). 

In a few years I doubt people will even be buying video game media in stores at all, but for now, if I'm buying media, I love the idea of installing it on my console and forgetting about it, just like PC games have done for the past 5 years.

Suggestions for Christopher Nolan's next film

Mori Memento.
Basically just play Memento forwards.  Maybe recast the whole thing. or else continue the story back in time!

Ception, alternatively Outception.
What happens next in Inception?  The world wants to know.  Plus you get a chance to explain that confusing ending!

Dark Knights and Baney Days
Bring back Bane and have him team up with Batman to take on Gotham City's underworld.  Also have Bane narrate the entire film.