A periodic roundup of relevant news… from our other blogs:

• Firefly HTPC Remote Control Review: Brent Evans Geek Tonic
• Grand Theft Auto IV, Diary Entry #1: The Daleisphere
• Grand Theft Auto IV, Diary Entry #2: The Daleisphere
• Cheaper All-Digital, All-HD and All-Switched: Media Experiences 2 Go
• NCTA on Switched Digital Video and CableCARD: Connected Home 2 Go

Gamefly ships Grand Theft Auto.

A periodic roundup of relevant news… from our other blogs:

• Comcast Launches AnyRoom: Media Experiences 2 Go
• Mac Mini as Windows HTPC: Brent Evans Geek Tonic
• Grand Theft Gamestop: Davis Freeberg’s Digital Connection
• New Motorola VDSL2 Gateways: Media Experiences 2 Go
• Teaching Time Warner Clear QAM: Brent Evans Geek Tonic
• Femtocells, Region by Region: Media Experiences 2 Go

I was doing some Usenet Google Groups research and got sidetracked looking up my online contributions over the years. While it’s difficult to uncover all my fingerprints on long-gone, closed systems and/or when using aliases like Quasar and Narcolepsy (it was amusing at the time), I dug up a few nostalgia-inducing posts under my state-sanctioned handle. Thanks for humoring me as I stroll down memory lane.

Here’s me selling my Macintosh LC Performa 575 in 1995. Which was actually my first CD-playing device. Boy, did I use it to play music. And Myst. Though the Performa was my first Mac, it wasn’t my first Apple… I spent decent amount of time over the years getting into trouble with my Apple IIc and 2400 baud modem. The statute of limitations has probably passed, but I’m not tempting fate other than to say VMS buffer overflows into root accounts were trivial over dialup… (But I don’t miss the days of line noise.) Prior to the IIc, I spent quality time at school playing Hard Hat Mack, Load Runner, etc on other Apple II variants. Although my computer gaming really began with Lunar Lander on the Radio Shack TRS-80, which may or may not have coincided with my Atari 2600 ownership.

Here’s me selling my roommate’s Japanese Nintendo 64 import in 1996. I seem to recall we were unloading it because the in-game text was… in Japanese! Which kinda put a damper on understanding the Super Mario 64 storyline. Though I have to say, Matt was a great roommate. He provided a large Mitsubishi tube TV and made sure we had every gaming console - that Nintendo 64 (Japanese, then American), 3DO, Playstation, and Sega Saturn.

Speaking of Sega, here I am trying to get the soft modem working under BSD Linux on the Dreamcast in 2001. Sadly, it was a no-go and I was unwilling to invest in the broadband adapter. This system was definitely ahead of it’s time - Heck, they offered a web browser and collaborative, online play (via that modem or broadband adapter) before anyone understood the significance or fun factor. Not only did I have a Dreamcast at home, our office gameroom (pre-Internet-bubble implosion) housed one. And beanbags, too.

Below is, in my opinion, a list of the best video game podcasts ordered by preference. I have listened to, and abandoned, many video game-related podcasts. Those listed below have survived the culling and, with one exception, are recommended without hesitation.

1. The 1Up Yours Podcast:

This is my favourite video game podcast. It ‘airs’ Friday evenings. Despite 1Up Yours seemingly continuous personality turnover (Luke Smith - now with the Bungie podcast; Bryan Intihar -now with Insomniac Games; Dan ‘Shoe’ Hsu - now on permanent vacation), Host Garnett Lee, with Shane Bettenhausen, John Davison and a revolving set of guests consistently provide an entertaining and informative podcast week-in and week-out. My only criticism of the show is that it is often too long and the interesting content is usually held back to the the end. Otherwise, its the best video game podcast.

2. Game Theory Podcast :

The Game Theory podcast (formerly the Next-Gen.biz podcast) is also a terrific weekly video game podcast. While 1Up Yours is strong in games coverage, the Game Theory podcast’s strength lies with its strong industry coverage. Gary Whitta & Colin Campbell are veteran video game industry reporters who put on an engaging and enlightening podcast. And, there’s something about their British accents that seems to elevate it. I highly recommend this podcast.

3. The 1Up Show (video) Podcast:

The 1Up Show is my favourite video podcast - period. It provides a comprehensive set of visual video game previews and reviews. They also feature interviews with industry luminaries and provide trade show coverage. If you want to watch a video game being played before purchase, this is the best place to do it. As a 1Up network/Ziff Davis podcast, it shares a similar set of hosts and guests with the 1Up Yours and the EGM Live podcasts. I will soon be testing TiVo’s Desktop v. 2.6 and its new support for video podcasts. This will be the first video podcast I attempt to get working with my TiVo - I like it that much.

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I recently listened to the March 31, 2008 EGM Live Podcast (download) where Garnett Lee interviewed Aaron Greenberg, Microsoft’s Director of Product Management for the Xbox 360 and Xbox Live. Among other topics, Aaron had the unenviable job of defending the concept of Microsoft Points (time index 17:40).

Reading several articles today on Sony’s pending PS3 on-demand service (see here, here and here) and Sony’s pending Playstation cards, to be denominated in local currency (here), it occurred to me that Microsoft’s use of points alone is going to become increasingly untenable as Microsoft’s key game/movie/TV show download competitors all offer competing products denominated and purchasable in local currencies.

Below I discuss Aaron’s arguments for Microsoft Points and what, to me, are overwhelming competitive arguments against them.

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The new PS3 Playstation store is a much needed improvement over the older store.

The Old Playstation Store

The old store (pictured left) booted slowly, was unresponsive, had tiny print and was almost unusable. It relied on a ‘mouse’ like interface with a pointer that needed to be moved around the screen with the PS3 controller’s analogue stick. It was very difficult to use and imprecise.

The New Playstation Store

• The new store boots up faster
• Thankfully, the mouse-pointer interface is gone
• The main menu now presents a grouped items column on the left
• Selecting an item group brings up a much easier to read sub-menu (see the “New Releasesâ€? submenu above)
• The submenu has a navigable list of possible selections on the right
• Selection details show up in a big, easier to read, panel on the left
• Everything is faster and crisper
• (more pics on joystiq here)

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