If only…

If there’s one thing that all Apple fans are looking forward to this year, it’s a whole lot more than one thing. Or whatever. I don’t have to make sense; I’m a blogger, not a journalist. You see, the company has plans to reveal a slew of new hardware and software this year, not the least of which is the upcoming iPad 3. Thankfully, we finally know how long we’ll have to wait before actually getting to hear about it from Apple themselves; March 3rd is the target date for the rumored-to-be 4G LTE compatible device, and I have to say this might finally be the one to get me on board with all of this iDevice hub bub.

As far as other specifications, we don’t know too much. “Experts” seem to agree that it’ll have a nice HD retina display, doubling the iPad 2′s resoultion and possibly making the device a bit thicker than its predecessor- which would be weird, since Apple is all about making things smaller. Additionally, a processor about twice the speed of the second gen iPad and a battery that will probably be better as well means that it’ll definitely be a step up in terms of tech. Whether that means anything for innovation is yet to be seen.

Check back here on the week of the 3rd for everything we hear about it!

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On a more serious and important note, it’s worth mentioning that Apple is finally (err… sort of) sending out a team of investigators to look into the allegedly poor working conditions at Foxconn, the Chinese factory that produces their iPhones, among other electronics from companies like Nintendo and Microsoft. The FLA (Fair Labor Association) is stepping in to promote adequate working conditions worldwide. The first inspections started yesterday, and there’s no word what their effect this might be, how long it might take, or how things might change in the coming months, but it’s at least a good sign that Foxconn is going along with it.

Here’s to hoping things get better, and that the iPad 3 is even more awesome than the iPad 2. Maybe I’ll finally buy one…

So the 3DS was in a bit of a rut for a while, but now public opinion is picking up and Nintendo is truly bringing out the big guns to try to keep sales high and hopes… er… hopeful. Or whatever. Here’s a rundown on some really great news we’ve been hearing over the last week or two regarding the system:

- A new 2D Mario game was announced for the system, despite the fact that Super Mario 3D Land just came out and is selling fantastically. It’s my understanding that it has broken 5 million in unit sales, which shows that neither console sales nor game sales are at all stagnant compared to the original DS, or even the Wii. The best part of this news? It’s releasing sometime in the next fiscal year, so get your platforming skills ready!

- The 3DS will be available, starting this Friday, in a new color: Pink! To celebrate Valentine’s day (a holiday I’m sure many gamers are quite well versed in), Nintendo’s putting out a pretty pink 3DS, which looks really good with the color black. You know, I think I know a company that sells black 3DS cases actually. I can’t seem to recall who though…

- The “Nintendo Network” was unveiled, and will allow users to connect to the internet on their 3DS and the upcoming Wii U. Probably comparable to the Playstation Network that Sony uses, it’s sort of the Big N’s answer to all of the people saying how they don’t know how online play works. Apparently the infrastructure is already in place for the 3DS to use this tech, but they haven’t quite unleashed it on the public because they want to wait for the Wii U’s launch to get a bit closer. My guess? Look for more details at E3.

- There are 200 titles currently in the works for 3DS that will be coming out in the next couple of years. Of course, we’ll see more and more announced as time goes on, but with things like Paper Mario 3D and a new Legend of Zelda down the pipeline, I don’t think 3DS owners are going to be bored anytime soon. In addition, we’ve also learned that a good chunk of these 200 titles are casual titles, as Nintendo is rolling out the big guns to draw in the mass market, much like they did with the original DS and the Wii.

- Some new details on the upcoming Animal Crossing 3D were released, revealing you can play as the Mayor of your town, allowing you to add things like street lamps and benches to change up the landscape. For more details on this (assuming you’re interested in Animal Crossing!), check out the full rundown here.

That’s pretty much it. Nintendo seems to be faring a lot better going into 2012 than they were last year, but I’d still be wary; we don’t know yet how good the Wii U is going to do, and I’m more than a bit skeptical…

If you’re an iPhone user whose deciding whether or not to invest in a dedicated gaming device, you’re probably most concerned about downloadable titles. After all, the staple of the iPhone’s gaming independence comes through its downloadable games, and if you have to insert a cartridge to play a game, is it even worth it anymore? Probably not (sarcasm), so what does our go-to gaming handheld, the 3DS, have when it comes to downloadable games?

First off, this past week saw the release of a highly anticipated platformer for 3DS called Mutant Mudds. Now, if you ever played old-school games like Mario and Megaman, the visual style of this fantastic platformer will be familiar to you. Nice, blocky characters and charming level design pervade every corner of this title, but that’s not all: When you take the 2D graphics and apply the 3D effect of the 3DS, it gives you this incredibly unique and interest visual style, something we have never seen before and we will probably see a lot more of in the future.

Now, let’s say you grew up playing the Gameboy as a kid, and you want to relive those memories. Nintendo’s got you covered there with a bunch of old Gameboy classics available for just a few dollars. Things like Super Mario Land, Kirby’s Adventure, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, and even lesser known titles like Catrap or Qix are all up on there, ready to be in your pocket once again. This time, however, you won’t need to switch cartridges; everything is saved right on the 3DS menu for easy access.

More recently released are a series of ’3D Classics’ games, in which Nintendo takes older video games, re-renders them in 3D (glasses-free of course) and then releases them for slightly more money than their standard counterparts. Games like ExciteBike (which is actually totally free), Kirby’s Adventure, and even more like Gradius have gotten the 3D treatment. All of these are easily available for download, just like an app you’d buy off of the app store. The only difference is that when you buy things off of the eShop, you’re getting quality video games.

Just kidding, iPhone has good games upon occasion.

To me, Siri is pretty much the most amazing thing I’ve seen on the iPhone since Angry Birds came out, but now it looks like there actually might be an app available that’s smarter and more responsive than Apple’s native digital assistant. It’s called “Evi”, and if the press releases tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, it’s actually a pretty impressive application. You see, it’s available not just for the iPhone 4S, but also for Android phones and older iPhone models, which first and foremost makes it more universal than Siri. The big question is of function though, and I’m not sure if I can trust what its developers are saying about it.

Take a look:

“Install Evi on an iPhone 4S and compare it to Siri. Ask “How do I make apple pie?”. Siri is unable to provide a direct answer and so asks whether you want to search the web. Evi provides a list of recipes with web links.

Ask “Who was President when Queen Elizabeth II was born”. Siri is unable to provide an answer and suggests performing a web search. Evi determines who Queen Elizabeth II is, when she was born, the dates when she will have been a teenager and then compares this against which US presidents were in office over that time, delivering the results of both serving US presidents during those years. Not bad, huh?”

So, if all goes according to plan we’ll have a Siri-copy that actually is able to answer more organic and abstract questions. Sounds too good to be true, which probably means it is. My guess is that there will be a catch either in that the variety of topics you can ask about is limited, or the phrasing you can use will be limited. To be fair, though, many people would argue that Siri has the same topical limitations. Hmm… I dunno, I guess I’m more of a gamer than a phoner!

One thing that Siri does lack is support outside of the United States, and that’s yet another reason ‘Evi’ is being introduced. Perhaps- at least until Siri travels across the pond- ‘Evi’ will be a suitably preparatory replacement for her!

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So, Super Smash Bros. series producer Mashihiro Sakurai has recently said that he hasn’t even fully assembled a team for the next entry in the series, and while this is a little disheartening, it’s okay. Why? In about two months the 3DS went from a useless system to an almost necessary system, and that trend is only going to continue as we’re seeing games like Mario Kart 7, Super Mario 3D Land, and Maximillion and the Rise of the Mutant Mudds coming out and down the pipeline. Up next, save for perhaps teh aforementioned Mutant Mudds, is Resident Evil: Revelations, a stellar game that earned my highest praises when I played it at E3 this year. Check out the latest trailer:

Every gamer knows that if there’s one thing big game companies like Capcom are good at doing, it’s putting together footage on a crappy game (coughresidentevil5cough) and making it look like it could be good. So, what’s to convince anyone that Revelations will be the system seller we hope? Frankly, it’s not just Capcom that’s raving about the game. Take a look at some review snippets I’ve gathered over the past couple of weeks:

“[Resident Evil: Revelations] is a better sequel to Resi 4 than 5 ever managed to be, and it’s a clear sign that Nintendo and Capcom are committed to keeping the core series alive and kicking.” – Games Master

“Little touches like intricate reload animations make it clear the developers weren’t about to cut corners just because Revelations is a handheld game. Likewise, there are some jaw-dropping CG cinematics sprinkled throughout, and a fully orchestrated soundtrack stands out as the best in franchise history. (One particularly haunting piece near the end even features a choir.)” – Nintendo Power

“A perfect blend of action and survival are driven home by a gripping episodic narrative that will have you struggling to put down your 3DS.” – Game Informer

That, on top of the fact that I played it and can personally vouch for its sheer awesomeness should be more than enough reason for some 3DS owners to put down their pre-orders, and even enough reason (when coupled with the recent slew of great software) for a few non-3DS owners to venture out and finally pick of the system. Don’t let this great entry to a great franchise slip by you.

I should really go into professional photo editing.

I really don’t mean to continue posting about video games when I talk of the iOS devices, but coincidentally all of the things worth posting about the last couple of weeks have been gaming related. This week is no different, as we have two pretty neat pieces of news to share with you, the first one relating to a game that has been hailed, for whatever reason, as the pinnacle of iPhone game design. That game, of course, is Infinity Blade.

With the sequel having just been released, Epic Games was pleased to announce that total revenue from the first entry in the series has totaled $30 Million, which is quite the accomplishment for a game that costs all of six dollars. They must’ve sold… what… five million copies then? Or something close to? Either way, good on Epic for crossing such a line with their game. I still stand by what I’ve said in the past though: I don’t like Infinity Blade, and I don’t understand the hype. Maybe the second one will be different, I suppose, but so far I still prefer games from dedicated gaming devices over anything I’ve played on iPhone.

If you also prefer games on home consoles, you’ll probably be happy to learn that Activision has licensed the release of a stat-tracker for their Call of Duty franchise to work in tandem with the subscription service, “Call of Duty Elite”. The service- costing $50 a year- allows players to look up other players on the network, see their favorite weapons, killstreaks, K/D ratio, ranking, graphs, charts, and a bunch of other really… er… interesting stuff relating to the game. It’s sort of like having a virtual baseball card of every CoD player, only instead of homeruns and athletic achievements you have imaginary kills and contests to see who can exploit the game faster.

Clearly I’m not the audience for Call of Duty either.

Some worthwhile news for 3DS accessory makers and gamers alike today; we learned via Japanese stock index “Nikkei” that Nintendo has begun/is continuing work on a “3DS Lite” model that would be thinner, slightly faster, and would boast an improved battery after complaints that the initial run of 3DSes performed abysmally in that area. To be honest, I don’t think this really qualifies as “news” any more than saying “Activision is working on another Call of Duty” would qualify as news, but it’s interesting that we seem to be getting fairly close to a potential release date. If I put it up to my best guess, I would say we’ll see a reveal at E3 in June this year and maybe a release this holiday season.

With the original DS, Nintendo waited about two years before releasing a secondary model. With the 3DS being as highly scrutinized as it seems to be? They may be wise to get it out on the market before the 3DSPhat stagnates. We’re seeing pretty strong sales now, but whether or not that can continue in this particular market has yet to be seen.

As far as I’m concerned, if they’re putting out a new model there are a few things they need to address:

- The battery life, for one, needs to be put up to the level of the DSi and it needs to hold its charge for as long as the DSi does in sleep mode/while it’s off. It’s a bummer when I leave my 3DS fully charged and turned off for a week, only to turn it on and find out that its lost all of its charge.

- The screen scratches that occur on the top screen are incredibly obnoxious when playing with 3D on and should absolutely be removed.

- The hinges should be tightened up so the top screen doesn’t flop around as much.

- The inner screens and body should be coated with anti-smudge stuff that’s put on iPod touches/iPhones/iPads.
That stuff is amazing, and I’m sick of having to wipe off my 3DS screen constantly.

- Load times for opening friends lists, new Swapnote messages, the internet browser, etc all need to be shortened. It’s not like Nintendo to have terribly long load times, and while the 3DS is still much shorter than HD consoles or portables, it’s too long for my liking.

- The internet browser should be sped up and should support flash.

If they do all of these things, I will buy an upgraded 3DS. If they do what I think they’ll do and just upgrade the battery and make it smaller, they absolutely will not be getting any of my money.

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In the past there have been controllers for iPhone and iPad, but the only way to use them with Apple’s gridlocked system was to map them to a virtual keyboard and have the “keyboard” connect to the device via Bluetooth. This is decent, but it limits developer’s abilities to use analog controls, which are a big part of gaming now. Finally, a solution might be in sight thanks to a company called 60beat who are developing a controller that connects to Apple’s machines via the headphone port.

It’s called the “GamePad” (clearly 60beat’s strong suit is unique names), and it works just as a traditional controller would, drawing most familiarity with the PS2′s dual-analog monster. Here’s a video of it in action:

So, it seems like it works pretty good, albeit the design could be a little more aesthetically pleasing. Still, not too shabby for something that uses a headphone port to function! Now we just have to hope that more developers get on board, because I seriously cannot play another game using my fat fingers and that little iPhone screen.

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Even if you didn’t get the 20 free Ambassador games from Nintendo for buying the 3DS early, you’ve still probably noticed that you’ve been absolutely smothered in free gifts over the past four months. The latest addition, following the GBA ambassador games and the free 3D video recording/stop motion animation maker is something called “Swapnote”, and within just a few minutes of using it you’ll realize why myself and many others are totally addicted to it.

You see, Swapnote uses the 3DS’ “SpotPass” feature to send and receive various messages between you and your 3DS friends. These messages are written by hand using the touch screen, can feature images and sounds, are sent and received while your system is in sleep mode, and can even use custom templates that are “purchased” using the play coins you get for walking around with your 3DS on. Each message starts a “thread” that anyone you sent it to can reply to, and this creates some very neat discussions and image sharing sessions that are just as addicting to send as they are to receive. Someone even sent me weird 3D pornography on christmas. Thanks, Swapnote!

The price of this awesome app? Zero dollars, and it can be downloaded without a hitch from the 3DS’ eShop anytime, anywhere. Happy message sending. :]

The best citizen you can be.

GTAIII first came out for Playstation 2 waaaaay back in the day, and it became the first GTA game to receive popular attention. Not because it was a marvel in game design- no, simply because you could run over cops and kill people and steal cars n stuff. Things that have become relatively ordinary in this day and age for games, which- depending on who you are- may be a good or a bad thing.

Don’t be fooled into thinking this is the only great game available this week though. No, Rockstar also has their critically acclaimed but commercially failed Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars up for just $6. I played this one on DS when it first came out, and I absolutely loved it. It’s the perfect pocket creation of GTA, and honestly, I imagine it’ll play a hell of a lot better on iOS than GTAIII. That being said, the decision is yours, but act fast: Both of these prices only last until the 29th.

In other news, some guy’s iPhone blew up while he was charging it.