Intel Creates Magic Power Supply~

Let me show off first: I've predicted something like this will come along. Something that will free us of all the hassle that is electric cords in our houses. I mean wireless power supply, and a safe one, also--not microwave technology which will fry our skin.

In today's report, Intel, the leading CPU and computer technology company, has announced a wireless power supply technology. They not only announced this, but also demonstrated it by lighting a 60-watt bulb, which is more than enough power for typical laptops!

Think about all the wires that runs through your house. And now think about your house without them. Neat, isn't it? And if, and I hope, someone makes this technology more advanced so that it can power devices miles away, this means an electric car that can run endlessly without any need for refueling, at all. (Of course it will need some refueling if car is used for a while without resting and depleted its power. Stop being so picky.)

Sounds like energy paradise to me. To bad this tech will only be commercially available around 2050....

Dead Space

From time to time, there are new intellectual properties (IP for short) developed that get massive marketing, and thus, get hyped. Many times, it's done by futile means like banner-spamming or using celebrities or hot developers to go on video and talk about the game. But other times, publisher does the right thing and lets the actual property do the talking. Things that are developed in this kind of marketing strategy creates deep and intricate world and creates appreciation towards the game and the property.

Such is beeing done by none other than EA, and it's promoting a brand new IP, Dead Space.

Because of the notoriety EA had for a long time--it was well known that EA used to focus solely on profit and worked its employees to death, and acquired and ruined numerous, well respected studios, along with their games--I dismissed this game as another cookie-cutter game that will start racking up number next to the title, created just to generate profit and profit only. Even the initial gameplay footage, while it does look promising, didn't penetrate my already-built distaste at the name EA.

Anyways, the fact that I'm blogging about this should already have told you; I am sold on this game. Yes, I am very hyped up about this game now that I am going to grab it once it hits the store shelf.

What happened? What changed my mind? As it takes things that shows developers' love, care, and sweat in the property that changes my mind, it is these comic episodes they have created that expands the world in which the game is set, and the are embedded below.

Watch them, and enjoy:

Bio(logy)Ware

Okay, I know BioWare was founded by a couple or more of game enthusiasts who had professional career going as medical doctors, so, for long time, I've had this image of two bald, glasses wearing mid- to late-50s men donning white gowns grinning in front of computers. Well, I apparently showed a clear case of stereotyping, again; one of the founders of the company, interviewed in 1 UP Show (of 1UP.com) below shows he clearly doesn't fit my idea. Rather, he looks like an average gamer who seems to be interested in the young interviewer.

Never mind mediocre-looking Halo Wars, but when they talk about on BioWare's past smash hit, Mass Effect, I had to say a few things:

First, Mass Effect's romance subplot is not even average-rating story. It falls short of being a decent one, even.

That said, Mass Effect's main story is also nothing great. Far from it. (Really, the whole plot is really short and really, really straightforward.) Rather, the strength of the game is in the world, and its mythos. The real enjoyment came from learning about its really well thoughtout world and setting by reading codex and listening to dialogues.

That brings me to another point: the dialogue system, contrast to what tons and tons of reviewers exclaim, is nothing to go crazy about. It is the same old dialogue tree! But it did do a good job at letting player customize the tone of the game with it.

Anyways, that was my quick two cents on the game. Now, hope you enjoy the video.

Finally, Something To Look Forward To

All three major E3 press conferences came and gone, without any major new title announcements to get excited about; pretty much they focused less on hardcore game titles, but more of casual market and community experience. Because I was anticipating a megaton announcement of some title that will instantly grab my attention (something like a new IP on par with Assassin's Creed), it's obvious that I was very disappointed with the whole calmness--FFXIII360 isn't really a new title, and although there are several games that I am looking forward to (namely Mirror's Edge, for one), they're not the "exclusive killer app" I'm looking for.

However, that expectation was actually met just now, by a title that was long been announced: Prince of Persia.

The new, reimagined iteration of it for current-gen console systems, while not an exclusive to one platform, awed me just enough to get me looking forward to it. What does it do exactly? Watch the developer walkthrough below, and see what I mean:

That buzz-word "immersion" the developer talks about, is something I always look for in a game. The way the game transitions from failure to retry, the "dueling" feel of combat, how a clean strike with a sword actually means death, not just decrease in some artificial HP, and so on...

Assassin's Creed, from same studio, came close, and I hope this game carries it further.

PS. It feels like more innovative games are created outside of US these days. Is the center of gaming, along with center of world economy, shifting away from America? Although world economy certainly will inevitably be shifted and be shared by many in near future, I hope America stays as the leader of gaming for long. At least until I am ready to jump to wherever there is innovation.

Netflix and Xbox Live: A Happy Marriage

Besides the big bomb, I must say, the announcement of Netflix integration into Xbox Live Gold is also a great news.

They say Xbox Live Gold members will be able to stream and watch thousands of movies off of Netflix streaming service directly on Xbox360 console, and that they can watch the movie with other friends over Xbox Live. I'm not sure how watching a movie with friends on different couches and different TV set will feel like, but I am really excited for this new feature--I loved the streaming service from Netflix, but I didn't get into it because I couldn't watch the movies on my bigger TV screen. But now I can!

A great but a puzzling news here is that they claim Xbox Live Gold account holders will be able to enjoy this without extra charge; how will this play out for normal Netflix subscribers? How's Netflix's profit generated in this picture, if their normal subscribers leave them for Xbox Live Gold, which most likely will include myself?