PS3 Too Cheap?! WTF?!
Mood:  happy
Topic: Sony
I don't know if you heard this or not, but the head honcho at Sony (Ken Kutaragi) is sayin that the Playstation 3 is going to be "too cheap." WTF?! Last time I checked, $600 wasn't on the cheap on of anything. Being a huge Sony fanboy myself, I gotta say dat da future don't look good for them. Sony is basically putting all their hope into the Playstation 3 as a Blu-Ray player, not a game machine. The fact that the PS3 plays games is just and added bonus for them. I"m not really sure if the public is ready to adopt a new way of watchin movies yet, especially if they have to pay more for it. Not only that, but also referring to the new tech will sound awkward. Today, if we see a movie we like in theaters, we can say "I'm definetly gettin that on DVD." What Sony wants us to say is "I'm definely gettin that on Blu-Ray!" I can't believe I'm sayin this, but Sony may be headin towards their own demise....

WORKSHOP: Casual Games Update - How new business models are accelerating the growth of today's game marketplace
Mood:  cool
Topic: E3
In this workshop, the panelists mainly stayed on the topics of in-game advertising and the casual games market. They also answered questions that were posed by the workshops moderator, such as "What is a caual game?", and "What is the goal of the casual games market, and how will it be achieved?"
When asked to define what a casual game is, one panelist mentioned that this definition is different in different parts of the world. Here in the US, a 'casual game' is a game that anyone can either play or download online. Games like Bejeweled and Solitaire count as casual games here. However, in Asia a casual game can be anything that does not require long hours of gameplay. MechAssault and Half-Life are seen as 'casual games' in other parts of the world.
Another topic discussed was in-game advertising. According to these panelists, a lot of big-name companies are making large profits in the casual games market, and this is helping keep the costs in this market down while at the same time allowing for high-quality games. In other words, in-game ads are helping the game makers achieve their number one goal of high quality with low costs. The big companies are doing this by either sponsoring games or integrating advertisements into casual games. For example, a panelist from Wild Tangent Game Studios announced that they are releasing a game called "Penguins" that is being sponsored by Nissan.
All in all, a very informative session.

Gettin There
Mood:  chillin'
Now Playing: Lumines on PSP
Topic: E3
My parents were all worked up that I wouldn't be able to get to the LA Convention Center by myself. They understandably thought that I would get confused and frustrated at the train stations, since this was of course my first time travelling by train alone. However, it actually turned out to be a lot easier than they made it out to be. Basically, I took the MetroLink from Irvine to LA's Union Station, where I then hopped onto the Red Line Subway to the 7th St./Metro-Center Station. From here all I had to do was take the Blue Line Sub to Pico Blvd.
Travelling by train is actually pretty enjoyable if you know what you're doing. I'll definetly consider this option for my long-distance, inter-state travels from now on.