I love to say I TOLD YOU SO. So I will.

I just found out that EA is recruiting small-time developers to further establish themselves in the mobile gaming market. What does it do for the developers? They get access to EA’s branding and marketing resources and we all know how deep their pockets runs. Read the full story here.

Now the question for developers is, would taking this offer be like making a deal with the devil or be a blessing from God?

In all fairness the writing has been on the wall for months now in the Interactive Entertainment Industry. With the explosion of social gaming on Facebook and the many mobile gaming devices hitting the market, it was only a matter of time before the industry giants figured out ways to be as nimble as the indie community. So it’s not like I made some bold prediction that was unforeseeable. But you can read my gaming predictions for 2011 and decide for yourself.

What if you could buy a Playstation app for your smartphone giving you access to all kinds of great games and a network of other players to challenge? Well the new Xperia Play Phone from Sony Ericsson is a step in that direction.

Here’s what a fellow gamer had to say about it.

Maverick128 posted this on kotaku.com

“I don’t think people understand that this is just a phone with a gamepad from Sony Ericsson, NOT SCEI. They are run like two completely separate companies with their own executives. Sony’s not shooting themselves in the foot by releasing this along with the NGP because the Sony you’re thinking of isn’t the one releasing this. This isn’t meant to compete with handheld gaming systems, it’s meant to compete with other phones that play games, like the iPhone. In fact, if the Playstation app spreads to all Android phones, this could be a great thing for Android. That’s it. This has nothing to do with the NGP, the 3DS, or any other handheld gaming system.”

The new XIM3 input device allows Xbox 360 gamers to add a mouse and keyboard combo to their rig thus improving their first person shooter skills to the PC Gamer level. I’m a PC Gamer at heart and could never really get use to playing with a game pad/controller so this device makes perfect sense to me. However I never really considered the possible advantage it could bring to 360 gamers who where willing to fork over the $149.99 retail price. This also makes me question how fare a cross platform multiplayer game would be if it existed.

As the 3 in XIM3 suggests, there have been 2 earlier models of this device which means it’s here to stay. I don’t see Microsoft or anyone else putting a ban on the device. So like it or not, this input adapter is going to be used by Xbox natives and PC new comers alike.

Some gamers are outraged while others don’t think it will make much of a difference.

NamelessFragger over at Engadget.com wrote

“Keyboard and mouse = cheating? Seriously? The XIM3 and those two peripherals don’t look like wallhacks or aimbots to me.

Is using a full HOTAS + rudder pedals + TrackIR in IL-2 Sturmovik, Falcon 4.0, DCS: Black Shark or DCS: A-10C Warthog cheating?

Is using a racing wheel with a good shifter and pedal set + TrackIR in rFactor, GTR2, Grand Prix Legends, or Richard Burns Rally cheating? (Good luck playing the latter two WITHOUT a wheel. You’ll need it even with one.)

Is using an arcade stick with a great microswitch joystick and buttons in Street Fighter, The King of Fighters, Guilty Gear, Radiant Silvergun, DoDonPachi, Mushihime-sama, and all other sorts of fighting games and shmups cheating? (You could probably get away without one for the shmups, but good freaking luck pulling off special moves in a fighting game without a good stick! Doubly so if you’re using that awful X360 gamepad’s D-Pad!)

Is using a keyboard and mouse cheating in Command & Conquer, WarCraft, StarCraft, and other RTSs? I wonder why I don’t see a lot of those on consoles…probably for the same reason I don’t see any hardcore flight sims on them.

I look at it as having the right tool for the job. Others just want the interface that impedes them the least and allows them to execute what it is they want to do. Bad controls just add fake difficulty.

As for the XIM3…I’m skeptical that anything that translates mouse movements to analog twiddlystick signals will actually result in the response I’ve come to expect from countless PC FPSs, where I can put the crosshair in the general vicinity of where I want it with a quick flick of the wrist, and some others can put it EXACTLY where they want it in that same flick-often right over someone’s face. The input code of the games in question just wouldn’t allow it, as far as I know.”

Video game enthusiasts, guess what? 2011 is well under way and we can already see some interesting developments taking shape in the interactive gaming industry. But one can’t help but wonder what the entirety of the year will bring. I thought I’d put my neck on the line and make some predictions that may be bold but are not totally unbelievable. So Here it goes!

Microsoft’s Xbox Kinect will flop terribly.

To me the device seems to be no more than a novelty. Sure it’s been doing great in sales up to this point but we just finished the busiest shopping season of the year. Now that Christmas is long gone lets see if Kinect sales will continue to rise. It may do great for games like Dance Revolution but unless developers can come up with some really innovative titles for the Kinect, hardcore games won’t find it very useful. Lets face it, we like to SIT back and play our favorite games. Relaxation is the name of the game, even if our butt-cheeks are clinched tightly as we engage in fire-fights in a virtual Afghanistan village. I don’t want to have to stand, let alone lean, twist and wave my arms to interact with a game. The Wii just barely gets away with this as you can use the Wii remote like a traditional game pad or just plug in the classic controller. So the question is can they make games for the Kinect that are so good gamers don’t mind standing up to play? I don’t think they can. And with limited titles and little crossover appeal the Kinect will be found sitting in the corner collecting dust with all the mock musical instrument controllers.

Average Joe gamer will play a bigger role in game creation and development.

Lets face it, developers are running out of fresh ideas for games. We’re getting the same old concepts with upgraded graphics and a new coat of paint slapped on them, nothing more. Small studios and home-brewers will start to get snatched up by the big boys who will start scrambling for new talent. This means little Johnny coder who has dreamed of creating a killer game that’s played by the masses just might get his wish. Not only that but companies will really start listening to the consumer and design games accordingly. They just need to be reminded, gaming is not about pixels and processors, it’s about us the gaming community.

Game developers will start making more games for the iPad, iPod, and Macbook, making Apple the hottest thing in gaming for 2011.

What? Is it so hard to believe that the Mac OS could be a legitimate gaming platform? Lets not forget that the predecessor to the Halo franchise and Bungie itself all started on the Mac. Marathon: Durandal anyone? With the new Apple products hitting the market and marketing campaigns that clearly seek to peek the gamer’s curiosity, Steve’s company seems to be slowly moving under the radar as a interactive entertainment alternative. Just last year they made Steam, the downloadable game delivery site, available for the Mac OS. And with this alliances alone Apple can greatly increase its number of gaming titles. At the end of the day It’s all about dollars and cents, and as long as plenty of potential gamers keep buying the iPhone, iPad and iPod, the demand for interactive entertainment will only grow stronger. I can even see this tying in nicely with my last prediction.

Well that’s all I got. I would share some other ideas but they border on being more of a wishlist. Like the possibility of there being a cross platform online multiplayer that can shift from a first person shooter to a real time strategy game. Or a game were you go to hell as Jesus, kick satan’s @#%$ and rise from the dead. Like Dante’s Inferno only good.

Based on emails that were sent out:
“Buy Back is essentially “Future Proofing” your technology. You purchase the technology you want today, and we’ll buy it back at a set price when you’re ready to upgrade to something new. You’ll know upfront what your gear will be worth, and you can conveniently redeem you Buy Back at our stores and immediately receive a Best Buy Gift Card.”

What say you?…

And the winner is…

This question starts flaming wars every-time its posted in forums and chat rooms. And this post may only stir the pot more but that’s why we have blogs, to voice our opinions.

I’m no hardcore gamer but I can easily spend a few hours each and every day playing some type of interactive game. And aside from my PC I think the Wii is the better all-around gaming system. Yes the graphics are just OK but I’m into innovation not eye-candy.

Yes, I’m a fan of the Nintendo Wii. I got it because of the price tag and because it’s a more family oriented gaming experience. Plus I use my PC for most of my real gaming. I saw no need to invest too much money into something that did little more than tickle my imagination for a year or two then leave me hanging when a bigger/better product rolled down the assembly line.

With my situation it was quite simple. I could have spent $300 to $500 on one of the bigger gaming systems or $100 to $300 upgrading my PC when I needed and get far more use out of it over all.

We bought the Wii in 2007 while I was heavy into playing COD 4 on my PC. I looked at the Wii as a cute little thing me and my wife could use to have fun with when I took a break from real gaming. Later on I would discover some of the Wii’s more hardcore titles to be quite fulfilling. Had I invested in a Xbox 360 or PS3, where would I have been 3 years later? Would I be one of the many worrying over the possibility of a Red Ring of Death sighting or pissed because I over paid for a system that dropped to half price a short while later?

I’ve upgraded my PC twice in that time. So I’d be out of the up front cost of a 360 or PS3 and what it cost me to upgrade my computer. And my gaming experience probably would not have improved very much because there’s only some much time in a day to play. Either I’m going to play my favorite games on a console or my PC. I couldn’t do both. One of them would have inevitably been ignored. And because I do most of my work on my PC its easier to switch a game on and start playing rather than get my lazy %&*@ up and walk into the living room and turn a console on. Needless to say, the Wii doesn’t see a lot of action. But it’s there when I get the itch and for under $300 thats okay. Now had I put down a huge chunk of change on a gaming console and have it sit there collecting dust, shame on me.

So I guess the real question should be what type of gamer you are and where are your priorities?

For these reasons the Wii makes more sense and is the more successful system of the three imo.

Besides, I’ve tried fps with analog sticks and I don’t know how you people do it. Using a mouse or motion control device seems far easier to me. I guess it boils down to what you’ve grown accustom to using.

Here’s one theory on what happened by Rinerdar over at Kotaku.com:

“In all honesty, I bet this has more to do with Bad Co 2 and DLC then people might think. Now this is all speculation, but Activision, and EA are in a blood feud right now and what is the one thing that would hurt the Bad Co 2 release more then anything, CoD MW2 DLC. Activision knowing this probably came to IW and demanded the DLC they are working on to be released at or before Bad Co 2′s release, reguardless of quality. The leads at IW no doubtedly denied knowing it wasnt up to their standards and they wouldn’t release sub par/ buggy content. Activision calls it insubordination and fires the leads so they have full control of the dev house and rushes to release the DLC next week so they can cut Bad Co 2 off before it has too much success and runs of with a couple million of their players.”

So you might be wondering what is Zibhdi.com?

It’s a site that collects the comments of video game enthusiasts from all over the web.

What can you use it for?

Discover something new – Search topics of interest – Find amusing conversations – Find underground info

Why would you want too?

Because you’re a gamer that wants more than just news.

You want to know what other gamers know.

You want to get gaming buzz before your friends do.

Or maybe you’re just nosey.

Whatever the case may be it’s all go. We’re not judging.

So click on the link of the gaming category of your choice above.

And stay tuned for exciting content.