Sony has a conference now. So far it's one of the most boring things ever. I mean, sure, understanding what they're saying would help, but... this is BORING. They're showing almost no games -- apart from one minute or two long, very boring demo reel of Vita stuff (some tennis game, a Picross-ish thing, golf I think, etc.), nothing so far.

Instead, they've thrilled the audience with things like a demo of the Vita interface, ten minutes of a guy from NTT DoCoMo (the Japanese cellphone giant) talking about the Sony/NTT partnership and their data plans for the 3G version of the Vita (it's... expensive. Like, $65 a month for 100 hours or something stupid like that... or, pay by the hour! Or, smarter, buy the WiFi only model?), Sony people talking about charts and graphs, people on stage just talking, etc. Yeah.

http://money.cnn.com/2011/09/13/technolo...hpt=hp_bn6

Also, apparently Windows 8 will have Xbox Live. Yeah, Windows Live is dead now or something, it's titled Xbox Live on the PC too now apparently...

Livestream: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nintendo3dsconference2011

Text blog in English about the event: http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2011/09...ence_2011/

This is Nintendo's big Japanese conference for the rest of the year. 3DS focus.

Quote:Syndicate is the re-imagination of a cult classic franchise from 1993 - a unique action shooter set in a not too distant future, where Business is War.

2069 – No longer governed by politicians, the developed world is divided up into regions controlled by megacorporations known as Syndicates. These Syndicates have revolutionized how the consumer interacts with the digital world. No longer does the consumer require a device to access the world¡¦s data and control their technology, they can do this at the blink of an eye via neural chip implant. Civilians flocked to be ¡§chip¡¦d¡¨ and enjoy all that their selected Syndicate has to offer; housing, medical, banking, insurance, education, entertainment and jobs. One complete package. One complete lifestyle. In return, the Syndicates gained unprecedented insights, and control, over the individual and their behaviour. With little governmental oversight, business has become war. The Syndicates will stop at nothing for ultimate market dominance. At the front line of this war are the Agents, the Syndicate¡¦s bio-engineered and chip-augmented enforcers. They can breach anything in the wired world including their enemies, their weapons and the environment that surrounds them, making them the most efficient and deadly technological weapons in the world.

Take on the role of Miles Kilo, Eurocorp¡¦s latest prototype agent, and embark on a brutal action adventure of corruption and revenge.

• Chip Enhanced Gameplay: Slow down time, see through walls, and breach your enemy and everything digital in the world with Dart vision – A neural DART6 chip implant that allows you to interface directly with the Dataverse.

• 4-Player Online Co-op: Assemble your Syndicate for global domination. A 4-player, online co-op experience like no other, with chip enhanced gameplay and 9 missions re-imagined from the original Syndicate.

• Visceral FPS Experience: Utilize an upgradable arsenal of futuristic weapons, armor and gear to annihilate your enemies and harvest their chip technology for personal advancement and sinister corporate greed.

• Sci-Fi Fiction: Immerse yourself in the world of Syndicate 2069, with a world-class sci-fi story experience, written by bestselling author Richard Morgan.

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Mannanan!

So I was thinking about how everyone loves zombies now and how unique and compelling the basic idea is, a disease that converts your former loved ones into mindless spreaders of that disease, spreaders that are likely to kill you with regular violence.

I just realized that we already have that, it's called fire.

In a world where there's a lot more combustible stuff around, like any city in 1914, it starts to spread...

Great now I wanna watch The Towering Inferno and Backdraft again...

http://kotaku.com/5837871/theres-more-to...3ds-add+on

Yeah, this is a bulky and ugly looking addon, for a portable, from a company that has never, not once, felt the need to add buttons to it's controllers later in a system's life, even when they really could have used them (GBA anyone?).

Kotaku here makes a good point, it speaks to a very likely remodel with the extra stick and buttons included right on it. Why didn't they just add a second analog stick from the start? As it stands, it's an entirely anti-Apple move, and anti-Nintendo come to think of it. If the rerelease hypothesis bears true, this little addon will go down as "that one clunky thing that let early adopters play later games".

So I was very close to buying a 3DS, but this addon's existence has made me second guess that decision. I'm taking a wait and see attitude again, which I'm sure Nintendo won't like, but I'm sure not going to be stuck using this pocket ripper to play "portable" games. Combined with the fact the battery life needs work and the 3D effect should have a wider scope to allow more movement of the MOTION SENSING device while playing and heck, about the only game I want that's even out right now is a remake of a game I already own... 3 times counting the various Gamecube compilations. I can stand to wait. In fact, upon reflection, Nintendo should have waited. It's not like the original DS was selling poorly, and it's not like Sony's Vita is coming out any time too soon. If they'd kept the 3DS in R&D this whole time they could release it BEFORE Christmas with all this stuff worked out.

Yeah, I'd say that the 3DS is Nintendo's second "rushed launch", right alongside their other 3D portable...

And the only thing close to a "holiday movie" this day even has is this:

http://www.homestarrunner.com/laborday.html

http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail83.html

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Yay!

This guy's probably the most famous cartoon voice that hasn't died and been replaced by a sound alike over the years. He seems to be at the same time assuring his future career :D, and also seems to really like what he does. That's good for someone who's basically the voice of all videogamedom. :mario: :mario: :mario:

He did Mario Teaches Typing? In that case his voice goes back further than Mario 64. I myself compared the two and noted that the voice seemed notably different in Mario Teaches typing than in Mario 64. If he did do that voice, it must have been an "early prototype" before he really nailed it down.

http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2011/09...onference/

-Character creation - like DQ9
-WiiU version will be a graphically enhanced port
-2012 release (in Japan, who knows about the West)
-Online focus - can do things like sending your character as an AI NPC for others to grind with, as well as running around with other people. In online mode you can see the other people fighting in the world, like in an MMO, and help the others.
-In single player AI companions fight with you. Hopefully you'll be able to have full control of them, like in DQ9...
-Weapon creation and sharing
-Possible 3DS compatibility
-Addon download quests, like DQ9 (but more maybe?)
-It will also have a "huge story", but no details yet
-Entirely internally developed (DQ games are usually outsourced)

Also this: (it has some screenshots too)
http://www.1up.com/news/square-confirms-...est-online

Looks like online fees are very likely for Japan, who knows about the West though. Being able to move around during combat is nice.

A lot of DQ fans are melting down over this, apparently... they really, really hate change, and DQ going semi-MMO, instead of sticking with the same exact design it's had for 25 years now, is horrible. I don't know myself, I don't find the old style very fun, but MMOs are often boring too... yeah, who knows if I'll end up getting this one. :p (Of course, that there's a solid likelihood we'll only get the WiiU version, depending on how long the Western release takes and when the game comes out, could impact that as well.)