Fabrice Grinda

The wives and girlfriends of my friends have been asking me for recommendations so I decided to share the analysis for all gadget lovers of the world to be happy this holiday season :)

Cell Phone: Galaxy Nexus by Samsung on Verizon

The Galaxy Nexus is actually the reason this blog post comes somewhat late in the holiday shopping season. Despite predicting a year ago that ultimately Android would beat out iOS as the dominant mobile platform, I did not jump ship to Android until yesterday when the Galaxy Nexus came out. Android phones, the Galaxy Nexus included, do not match the slickness of the iPhone 4S interface, the quality of its applications and the quality of its digital camera.

However, the iPhone 4S proved to be a huge disappointment. I was hoping for a larger screen, LTE and longer battery life, but instead all they released was essentially Siri and a better camera. Siri works surprisingly well but is really gimmicky. Ultimately, the Galaxy Nexus was the phone I needed. Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0) closed the gap significantly from a UI perspective (though Google still has work to do to fully catch up).

More importantly, the switch to Verizon’s LTE network is revolutionary. I feel the same way I felt when I moved from dial up to broadband! Given that I essentially only use my cell phone to browse the web, text and as a mobile hotspot to give my notebook computer Internet access on the road and in hotel rooms, the speed increase is game changing. I also prefer the larger screen for web browsing and chatting. The screen is not nearly as good as the screen of the Samsung Galaxy SII, but it’s still amazing. Besides none of the calls I have made so far have dropped! I was so frustrated with my iPhone 4 on AT&T, I almost broke it several times. Once it dropped the call 10 times in a 20 minute conversation (and still drops calls daily).

Note that I am hanging on to my iPhone 4 to use when I travel abroad given AT&T’s much better global roaming agreements. AT&T also recently introduced a $199.99 per month 800Mb international roaming data plan that has proved a god send in many far flung places around the world!

Digital Camera: Canon Powershot SX230 HS

I am very sensitive to weight when it comes to digital cameras yet want a huge zoom to take great sports shots. This comes in handy while kiting, skiing, etc. would allow you to take great pics of your kids playing soccer :) To be specific, I need a camera that fits in my pocket in all circumstances which is why I am not recommending any of the SLR cameras because experience suggests you end up not taking them with you all the time. This is why I am recommending a high-end “super zoom” compact camera: the Canon Powershot SX230 HS.

You can get it for $199 on Amazon. It has an amazing 14x optical zoom, a 3” LCD and supports HD video. It’s also much better in low light than most “super zoom” cameras.

You can read the full review at: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/q311travelzoomgrouptest/page17.asp

Computer: Sony Vaio Z (with the new 13” Macbook Air as a runner up)

If you are ready to splurge, the Sony Vaio Z is hands down the fastest compact notebook on the market right now. Its specs and speed are second to none: 2.5 pounds, a 13” 1080p (1920*1080) screen, a Core i7 processor, a 1Gb AMD Radeon HD 6650 graphic card, a superfast 256Gb Raid 0 SSD hard drive (with a 512Gb option), 8Gb of memory, an external Blu-ray burner, and a 5 hour removable battery with the option for a 10+ hour extended battery. Buy it directly on Sony.com to get the options you want.

If you are a Mac lover, the new 13” Macbook Air is the computer to get. It has the best design of any notebook on the market. Unfortunately, it only has a 1.8Ghz dual core i7, a 1440*900 resolution screen, you can only install up to 4Gb of memory, its 256Gb SSD drive is superfast but slower than the Sony’s Raid 0 256Gb SSD drive, it has a much slower Intel HD 3000 graphic card, and a non-removable battery. It’s not nearly as good as the Sony, but if you are wedded to Mac OS, this is the notebook to get until the next Macbook Air refresh.

Game Console: Xbox 360 – with Kinect if you have kids

A few years ago my recommendation would have been different. The Wii was definitely the console to get for kids and families. For hardcore gamers the decision between the Xbox 360 and the PS3 mostly came down to which exclusive franchise games you preferred (Gears of War or Halo vs. Drake Unchartered). For the most part the Xbox had the edge: it had more and better exclusive games, a better multiplayer experience and better graphics despite worse specs because it was easier for developers to make games for the Xbox. Many hard core gamers actually got both the Xbox and the PS3, both to use the latter as a Blu-ray player and for its exclusive games.

Last year, with the introduction of the the Kinect and the Playstation Move, the Wii’s advantage with kids and casual games has fallen by the way side, especially considering its increasingly dated graphics. The PS3 has also closed the gap with the Xbox. Its online experience has improved, the roster of exclusive games has increased (Gran Turismo 5, Heavy Rain), and developers are finally figuring out how to make use of its processing power and games now have equivalent graphic quality to those of the Xbox 360 and in some cases surpass them.

However, for Xbox 360 remains the console of choice. It has still has by far the best online experience both for multiplayer gaming and watching movies – be it on Zune or Netflix, the controller fits better in your hand and it’s a better deal. If you don’t have kids, you don’t need to buy the Kinect unless you want to do great video conference calls from your living room. Just get the Xbox 360 with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, LA Noire, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Batman: Arkham City and Gears of War 3. If you have kids, definitely get a Kinect with Fruit Ninja!

Video Game: Lots of Great Choices!

There are so many great games that came out this year it’s too hard to come up with one recommendation, so I will recommend a few games so you can pick based on the genre you like best.

• Multiplayer First Person Shooter: Modern Warfare 3

  In a way Modern Warfare 3 is disappointing as it only makes very small evolutions to Black Ops. Black Ops was just as good, but I started tiring of it. I am happy to be presented with new leveling up options, new maps and a few new game modes. Despite the lack of real changes, the game retains the best in class multiplayer game mechanics of its predecessors and remains the multiplayer first person shooter to play!

• Third Person Shooter: Uncharted 3 & Gears of War 3

  Both Uncharted 3 (PS3) and Gears of War 3 (Xbox 360) continue in the fantastic footsteps of their predecessors. The graphics are amazing and their storylines are shockingly touching and compelling. The coop is tons of fun as well though the multiplayer is nowhere near as interesting as the one of Modern Warfare 3.

• Role Playing Game: The Elder Scrolls V, Dark Souls and Witcher 2

  2011 was an amazing year for RPGs. The Elder Scrolls V continues The Elder Scrolls tradition of first person role playing in huge universes with a seemingly infinite number of side quests and takes it to the next level. I found the story and gameplay even more compelling than in Oblivion!

  Dark Souls is just as amazing and may well be the hardest RPG ever made. I actually have a slight preference for third person RPGs over first person RPGs and adored the gameplay and mechanics. Be forewarned though that the game is so tough that you may find it frustrating. I would only recommend it for expert RPGers.

  As for Witcher 2, it’s by far the best PC-based RPG of the year: phenomenal visuals, absorbing and exciting story where the actions you take have fundamental ramifications for the other characters and overall storyline.

• Adventure Game: LA Noire & Batman Arkham City

  Neither of those is a real adventure game in the traditional point and click sense of the word like the Sierra games of yore. However as that genre has unfortunately essentially died, they represent the next evolution of adventure games and are really adventure / action hybrids. They are in the Grand Theft Auto mold, but with adventure elements: clues to look for and interviews to conduct (using the clues as evidence) in the case of LA Noire and puzzles to solve in the case of Batman.

  LA Noire is closer to the traditional adventure genre, but is designed for modern audiences as you can progress through the game even if you miss most of the clues and mess up most of the interviews. In many ways the game reminded me of the Police Quest series by Sierra, but with modern graphics and a LA Confidential type mood.

  As for Batman, the adventures and explorations in the city of Arkham make this game extraordinary. My one reservation is that the game is too easy, which is also the reason Red Dead Redemption is not on the list. The game is amazing, but was so easy even on the hardest level that I tired of it.

• Strategy Game: None!

  The lack of great new rich and deep RTS was a huge disappointment. I still long for a game matching the strategic depth of Rise of Nations with the tactical unit control of Company of Heroes. Unfortunately no RTS even came close in the past few years and there is none I feel I can recommend.

  As for turn based strategy games, none have shone since last year’s Civilization V.

  I hope 2012 will change all that!

eReader: The Kindle

The new Kindle is great. If you are an avid book reader, ereaders are fantastic and the Kindle is the best of the bunch. I got tired of lugging books with me and switched to the Kindle and have not looked back! It’s light, easy to read in all environments and has amazing battery life. You could get away with reading a few books on the iPad or Kindle Fire, but your eyes and arm eventually tire out so if you read a lot the Kindle is the ereader to get. I tried every version of the Kindle and ended up going with the cheapest $79 option. It’s lighter than the Touch version. I also felt the Touch was not responsive enough and I hate waiting for the page to load. I used to have the 3G option in the previous version but never used it as I always have many books I am waiting to read so decided to opt out of it as well.

Webcam: Microsoft LifeCam Studio

This $99 webcam is amazing! It has a 1080p widescreen sensor, great low light quality and a fantastic microphone. If you do many Skype calls, it’s the webcam to get!

Remote Controlled Car: Traxxas E-Revo Brushless (5608)

Given noise complaints from my neighbors I switched all my remote controlled vehicles to electric. The Traxxas E-Revo Brushless truck is a monster! It’s huge – 23 inches long, 9 inches and basically unbreakable! Get it with Lipo batteries (buy two Venom 11.1V 5000 mAH 20C Lipo batteries with a Venom Pro Lipo Charger with Power Supply) and it goes 65 mph!

The car is ready to run out of the box so even if you have never assembled RC products before you should be set. Note that you need a very big space to make it run – 65 mph is superfast!

You can buy everything at ehobbies.com and on Amazon. If you break anything just type the part number on ehobbies and it shows up directly. The Traxxas folks are also very friendly and provide great support.

Comments (4)

The wives and girlfriends of my friends have been asking me for recommendations so I decided to share the analysis for all gadget lovers of the world to be happy this holiday season :)

Video Game: Call of Duty: Black Ops

		There are lots of great games out in the market right now: Red Dead Redemption, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, Vanquish and Civilization V in particular come to mind for single player fun. However in terms of pure unadulterated multiplayer fun nothing trumps Call of Duty: Black Ops. The game mechanics are very similar to Modern Warfare 2 and that’s a great thing. It’s the game to get this holiday season. It’s fantastic on all platforms, but I am partial to the Xbox 360 version
because more of my friends are on the Xbox, and I only play this game with friends. The multiplayer experience is also more competitive on the Xbox than on the PS3. The PC version is fantastic as well, but you need a super powerful computer. Besides more of my friends play it on consoles than on PC and I actually prefer playing first person shooters on consoles.

Digital Camera: Panasonic Lumix ZS7 or LX5

I am very sensitive to weight when it comes to digital cameras. I want something that fits in my pocket in all circumstances which is why I am not recommending any of the SLR cameras because experience suggests you end up not taking them with you all the time. This is why I am recommending high-end compact cameras. In this category the Lumix ZS7 and the Lumix LX5 are the best by far.

The one you should get depends on your specific use case. They both have 3” screens and HD movie recording. The ZS7 costs $250, is fully automated and has an amazing 16x optical zoom. If you take a lot of sports shots from far away, your kids playing soccer for instance (or in my case kite surfing or skiing pictures and videos), it’s the one to get.

The LX5 costs $400, has a 3.8x optical zoom and comes with an impressive array of customization options. What sets it apart is its amazing picture quality, especially in low light. If you take a lot of pictures indoors, dinner parties for instance, it’s the one to get!

Note that in many circumstances an iPhone 4 can do the trick as well. There is no zoom and a weak flash, but it’s fantastic for taking impromptu pictures and sharing them on Facebook. It even has good low light quality.

Phone: iPhone 4

I have predicted that Android will ultimately beat out iOS to be the dominant smartphone platform. Android phones are already outselling iPhones 2 to 1 and the AT&T network famously sucks in New York and San Francisco. That said, no Android phone on the market currently matches the slickness of the iPhone 4 interface, the quality of its applications and the quality of its screen and digital camera. Several phones get close and my recommendation might change with LTE Gingerbread (Android 2.3) phones on Verizon in 2011, but for now the iPhone 4 is the phone to get!

Computer: Sony Vaio Z (with the new 13” Macbook Air as a runner up)

If you are ready to splurge, the Sony Vaio Z is hands down the fastest compact notebook on the market right now. Its specs and speed are second to none: 3 pounds, a 13” 1080p (1920*1080) screen, a Core i7 processor, a 1Gb Nvidia GT 330M graphic card, a superfast 256Gb Raid 0 SSD hard drive (with a 512Gb option), 8Gb of memory, an internal DVD player (or optional internal Blu-ray player and burner) and a 5 hour removable battery. Buy it directly on Sony.com to get the options you want.

If you are a Mac lover, the new 13” Macbook Air is the computer to get. It has the best design of any notebook on the market. Unfortunately, it only has a Core 2 Duo processor, a 1440*900 resolution screen, you can only install up to 4Gb of memory, its 256Gb SSD drive is superfast but slower than the Sony’s Raid 0 256Gb SSD drive, it has a much slower 256Gb Nvidia Geforce 320M graphic card, no internal DVD player, and a non-removable battery. It’s not nearly as good as the Sony, but if you are wedded to Mac OS, this is the notebook to get.

Game Console: Xbox 360 – with Kinect if you have kids

A few years ago my recommendation would have been different. The Wii was definitely the console to get for kids and families. For hardcore gamers the decision between the Xbox 360 and the PS3 mostly came down to which exclusive franchise games you preferred (Gears of War or Halo vs. Drake Unchartered). For the most part the Xbox had the edge: it had more and better exclusive games, a better multiplayer experience and better graphics despite worse specs because it was easier for developers to make games for the Xbox. Many hard core gamers actually got both the Xbox and the PS3, both to use the latter as a Blu-ray player and for its exclusive games.

In the past year, with the introduction of the the Kinect and the Playstation Move, the Wii’s advantage with kids and casual games has fallen by the way side, especially considering its increasingly dated graphics. The PS3 has also closed the gap with the Xbox. Its online experience has improved, the roster of exclusive games has increased (Gran Turismo 5, Heavy Rain), and developers are finally figuring out how to make use of its processing power and games now have equivalent graphic quality to those of the Xbox 360 and in some cases surpass them.

However, for Xbox 360 remains the console of choice. It has still has by far the best online experience both for multiplayer gaming and watching movies – be it on Zune or Netflix, the controller fits better in your hand and it’s a better deal. If you don’t have kids, you don’t need to buy the Kinect unless you want to do great video conference calls from your living room. Just get the Xbox 360 with Call of Duty: Black Ops, Red Dead Redemption, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, Vanquish and Gears of War 2. If you have kids, definitely get a Kinect with Dance Central.

eReader: The Kindle

The new Kindle is great. If you are an avid book reader, ereaders are fantastic and the Kindle is the best of the bunch. I got tired of lugging books with me and switched to the Kindle and have not looked back! It’s light, easy to read in all environments and has amazing battery life. You could get away with reading a few books on the iPad, but your eyes and arm eventually tire out so if you read a lot the Kindle is the ereader to get. You should probably buy the 3G version. Even if you don’t anticipate using it, it’s useful on the off chance you get caught somewhere with nothing to read and no wifi coverage. The extra $50 is well worth the price of having the world’s largest library at your fingertips anytime, anywhere.

Tablet PC: iPad

If you have kids definitely get an iPad. They find it intuitive and love the games! If not, it depends on your use case. A few people use it as a notebook replacement in meetings or when traveling, but I don’t like typing with it and its support for Office files is not great (many PPT graphs don’t show up for instance). It’s effective as a bedside or living room web browser or to use as a video player at the gym. If you have a use case, definitely get one. If you are considering a netbook, get an iPad instead.

Webcam: Microsoft LifeCam Studio

This $99 webcam is amazing! It has a 1080p widescreen sensor, great low light quality and a fantastic microphone. If you do many Skype calls, it’s the webcam to get!

Remote Controlled Car: Traxxas E-Revo Brushless (5608)

Given noise complaints from my neighbors I switched all my remote controlled vehicles to electric. The Traxxas E-Revo Brushless truck is a monster! It’s huge – 23 inches long, 9 inches and basically unbreakable! Get it with Lipo batteries (buy two Tenergy 11.1V 5000 mAH 25C Lipo batteries with a Venom Pro Lipo Charger with Power Supply) and it goes 65 mph!

The car is ready to run out of the box so even if you have never assembled RC products before you should be set. Note that you need a very big space to make it run – 65 mph is superfast!

You can buy everything at ehobbies.com and on Amazon. If you break anything just type the part number on ehobbies and it shows up directly. The Traxxas folks are also very friendly and provide great support.

Remote Controlled Plane: E-Flite Apprentice 15e RTF

The Apprentice is a great first plane. It costs $299. It comes almost fully assembled (you essentially just need to glue the wings together) with everything you need out of the box. It’s super stable and amazingly durable. It can handle many crashes and most parts are cheap to replace (a new set of wings is less than $40). The plane can also do basic acrobatics once you are up for it (loops, inverted flying). If you have a place to fly it, it’s tons of fun!

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As it is built on the Company of Heroes engine, I had great hopes for this real time strategy game (RTS). Unfortunately, the game is even more simplistic than Company of Heroes (which itself was extremely simple) and the unit control is nowhere near as precise as in Company of Heroes. My RTS hopes now rest on Starcraft II and Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor.

Comments (1)

As a gamer and fan of marketplaces, I have followed with amazement the rise and fall of IGE (www.ige.com). It started as a marketplace for Everquest virtual goods and rapidly expanded to others, especially World of Warcraft.

When I looked at the company a few years ago, it was generating tens of millions in revenues. I was shocked that a virtual goods marketplace could be so big. They were actually much more than a marketplace as they actually employed “gold farmers” to play the game and generate items for sale. This position put them at odds with the gaming companies and gamers who were the ultimate source of their revenues. This eventually led to their downfall.

Wired tells the fantastic tale in all its glory – sex scandals, back stabbings and all!

Read it at:
http://www.wired.com/gaming/virtualworlds/magazine/16-12/ff_ige?currentPage=all

Comments (4)

I was a huge fan of the original Command & Conquer and Red Alert games. When they came out they were truly innovative. Westwood who had invented the genre with Dune 2 redefined it with C&C by introducing competitive multiplayer games and truly dominated the real time strategy game genre alongside Warcraft and Warcraft II during the 1990s until Age of Empires showed up.

Unfortunately, the last few games have been forgettable and Red Alert 3 is no exception. The over the top single player story is fun and the actors are great, but the game lacks the depth of the best real time strategy games of the past few years.

The units are too fragile, there is only one resource type, way too few unit types and the pace is too quick. As result, the game lacks the depth of a richer game like Rise of Nations and the fine tactical control of a game like Company of Heroes. A game combining the strengths of those two games would be truly innovative.

I guess I will have to wait. I hope Stracraft II does not disappoint!

Comments (5)

While I was disappointed with the graphics and the multiplayer play, I really loved the depth of the single player story line. I am excited to see what they will come up with next.

Next up: Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3), Command and Conquer Red Alert 3 (PC), Starcraft II (PC), Diablo III (PC), Halo Wars (Xbox 360), Gears of War 2 (Xbox 360), Company of Heroes II (PC), Call of Duty 5 and 6 (Xbox 360). I can’t wait!

Comments (5)

As many of you know, I have been a fan of the Xbox 360 for some time (see Report from the video game wars and Great game setup), but last week I bought a PS3!

With the recent price cut, the $399 40 Gb PS3 is an amazing deal. For $399 you get a Blu-ray player, built in wifi and free online playing. The equivalent would actually be more expensive on the Xbox – it’s $94 for the wifi connector, $179 for the HD-DVD player (not to mention it’s not as nicely integrated) and $59.99 per year for Xbox Live Gold.

Out of the box the PS3 looks good, there is no power adapter – it’s built into the console which is a huge improvement on the humongous power adapter of the Xbox 360 – and it’s quieter than the Xbox 360. On the negative side, the first thing it does is download a patch which takes forever to download and install. Once that was done, it ran smoothly. As a cinephile, I love the Blu-ray player which nicely complements the HD DVD player I already have for all the movies that are not available in both formats.

All that said, I only bought the PS3 because it finally has a game I really wanted to play: Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. It’s a third person adventure/action game which is probably best described as “Indiana Jones meets Gears of War.” It’s single player only with no coop, but it’s tons of fun.

Unfortunately for Sony, Drake’s Fortune is the only exclusive PS3 game I truly wanted to play. The Xbox 360 still has many more great exclusive games: Gears of War, Halo 3, Bioshock, Mass Effect. Most of the games available on both consoles come out first on the Xbox such as Oblivion IV and The Orange Box. Finally, with multiplayer working better on the Xbox and as more of my friends have Xboxes, I buy the multiplayer games available on both, such as Call of Duty 4, only on the Xbox 360.

Conclusion:

The Xbox 360 is still the better console for most hard core gamers with a stronger line up of games and a cheaper entry price. However, with the new lower price point and new games, Sony is finally back in the race.

It’s going to be interesting to watch the battle over the next few years. The competition can only be good for gamers. At the very least, I hope Microsoft will embed wifi in the console and drop the Xbox live fee.

Comments (5)

My gaming credentials:

I will start by admitting that I am a gamer. I have been playing games since I got my first PC in the early 1980s. I rapidly discovered a weakness for strategy games, especially real time strategy games, and adventure games. The adventure genre has fallen into disrepute recently, but I used to love Sierra Games: King’s Quest, Space Quest, Hero’s Quest, Police Quest, Gabriel Knight, Knights of Camelot, Leisure Suit Larry, etc. The only really captivating adventure games of the past few years have been The Longest Journey (the original, Dreamfall is sub par) and Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon. As for strategy games, my favorites are Sword of Aragon, Panzer General, Warlords, Civilization, Dune 2, Warcraft, Command and Conquer, Age of Empires, Rise of Nations and Company of Heroes. I am currently looking forward to Supreme Commander and Command and Conquer 3.

I will readily admit that I am more of a PC gamer than a console gamer though I have owned numerous consoles from the original Atari to the PS2 and Xbox. While I use the PC to play strategy and adventure games, I use the console to play first and third person shooters, role playing games (except for Diablo which I played on PC), car racing games, sports games and fighting games.

The PlayStation 3:

The PlayStation 3 was the console I was most looking forward to. It had all the technical specs that a self-avowed gadget and technology enthusiast like me can only dream of: Cell processor, 1080p, Blu-ray, built in wireless networking, HDMI connector. I was even ready to overlook the $599 price in light of all the features and the fact that the last two PlayStations were considered expensive when they came out. Inevitably the price will fall as Moore’s law dictates.

Unfortunately I was disappointed:

• The game graphic quality was no better than that of the Xbox360. In fact it was often slightly worse, even when compared with first generation Xbox360 games, let alone second generation Xbox games like Gears of War. Gamespot corroborates my findings with a detailed analysis and report which you can read at: http://www.gamespot.com/features/6162742/index.html?tag=features;title;0
• The controllers don’t have rumble feedback, the battery life is terrible and you can’t replace the batteries. I have not yet tried the tilt sensitivity so I will reserve my judgment on that though I suspect it’s no match for the Wii in that department.
• The system cannot multitask properly and twice took 45 minutes to download and install “required” updates making the system useless in the meantime. On the Xbox 360 you can easily download something from the net while playing a game. Not to mention, that these updates make the PlayStation 3 feel like an unfinished product.
• Again, contrarily to the Xbox360, the PS3 cannot connect to home networks meaning that the only way to transfer music, photos and videos from your PC is via a memory card, USB drive or ripping them on a CD.
• The interface and browser could use a lot of help. The system can’t tell you which Blu-ray disc you have. Entering a name, password or web URL is a pain and the system does not offer an onscreen keyboard like the Xbox’s. The web browser is incredibly awkward – try to use MySpace or Youtube with it – good luck!
• There are not enough good games available.
• The PS3 is hard to find.

Conclusion: Don’t buy a PS3 right now, unless you want a Blu-ray player (and I would also recommend waiting on the HD DVD vs. Blu-ray war to settle before doing that). The game and PS3 availability is going to be addressed in the year to come. Prices will fall. Hopefully Sony will address the browser, network connectivity and UI issues with more of those “required updates” and maybe find a way to match Xbox Live.

The Xbox 360:

I have owned an Xbox 360 since the Spring of 2006. I have to admit I have been impressed. I am completely addicted to Oblivion IV and Gears of War (which I just finished in co-op mode with my good friend William, VP of Marketing at OLX). I also play Top Spin 2, Burnout Revenge, Project Gotham Racing 3, Dead or Alive 4 and Assault Heroes. I am also very much looking forward to Lost Planet and Halo 3.

What has impressed me the most has been Microsoft’s attention to detail:

• Xbox Live is amazing! It works well, it’s easy to use. The multiplayer system is phenomenal, especially compared to the numerous problems I have been experiencing with PC games in recent years (Note to Relic on Company of Heroes: you must allow team ranked games where I play with my ally and not just random people – also stop counting all my victories as losses – yes even after patch 1.4!) . You can even download HD movies (though they only have 6 available right now and take about 5 hours to download)
• If you turn the wireless controller on, it turns the Xbox 360 on!
• Connecting the Xbox to a Media Center PC to exchange files is very easy.

Gripes:

• The wireless adapter should be built in the Xbox 360 Pro and not require an extra purchase
• Xbox Live should be free. Most online PC gaming is free except for MMORPGs. Xbox Live is a huge comparative advantage with the PS3. It should be worth it for Microsoft to lock in more users by providing Live access for free.
• The power supply is incredibly big and the Xbox360 is way noisier than it should be!
• The movie selection on Xbox Live is really poor, especially in HD – and what I really want is a Netflix-like all you can eat movie and TV show service for $19.99 a month with almost everything in HD and not have to pay per download. I suppose this is more the studios’ fault than Microsoft, nonetheless, it’s annoying.
• Using component cables and an optical cable for surround sound is less clean than using an HDMI 1.3 cable.

Conclusion: I was originally concerned by the lack of an HDMI connector and the lack of support for 1080p. However, an HDMI connector is only really useful to play certain protected content from HD DVD or Blu-ray. It offers no advantages in video quality for displaying games in 720p, thus the high-definition component connection is good enough. More importantly, the game selection is good, the graphics and playability is great and Xbox Live works incredibly well. If you are a hard core gamer, this is the console to get right now. Make sure you get Oblivion IV and Gears of War with it too!

The Wii:

To be honest, I had very low expectations for the Wii. I stopped using Nintendo with the Nintendo 64. However, the interest that the Wii garnered with its wireless controller, which can be used as a handheld pointing device and can detect motion and rotation in three dimensions, peaked my curiosity.

I played Wii Sports and Zelda and loved the interface. Tennis was tons of fun and I can’t wait for them to release a full blown tennis game for the Wii. The user interface was extremely easy to use and the parents of my friends who own Wiis were not only interested in playing but figured out how to play in no time.

On the downside, the low quality of the graphics really annoyed me. Most of the games available on the market did not interest me (and frankly appeared downright childish). There is no online gaming available yet.

Conclusion: For younger players, non gamers and casual gamers the Wii is a good choice. It’s much less expensive than the competing systems and Wii Sports and Zelda are great launch titles.

Personal Conclusion:

I have decided to separate my personal preferences from my market analysis as I have realized my personal choices don’t reflect those of the mass market when it comes to gaming. If I represented the average consumer, Nintendo would have died years ago and Sony would have had a runaway success with its PSP. I love the depth, richness and graphic quality of the games on the PSP and its ability to play movies on its bright great looking screen! (Non-sequitur: Sony you need a lesson in interface design. Transferring movies to the PSP is way too much of a pain! If you can take lessons from Microsoft on interface design, you know something is seriously wrong!). Instead, the Gameboy Advance and DS have sold over 100 million units while Sony sold 25 million PSP.

As you can deduct from the above report, I own and highly recommend the Xbox 360. The PS3 has been incredibly disappointing and I will wait a year before considering buying one to complement my Xbox 360. As of now unless Sony gets exclusives on “must play” games, I don’t think I will ever get one. As for the Wii, I truly hesitated. Last week-end I headed to Best Buy to buy one. They did not have any, but a nearby store had a few in stock. Before buying it, I went to demo it one last time. They had a video game showcase with a Wii next to an Xbox 360 both playing on 42” Plasma TVs. The graphic difference was so stark, I could not get myself to buy the Wii. The graphics looked so amateurish and old! Instead, I left with Assault Heroes for the Xbox 360 and Killzone and Field Commander for the PSP.

Market Conclusion:

I can’t believe what I am about to write. This has always been Sony’s market to lose! They have a huge installed base of fans. An enormous library of backwards compatible games. Yet, in the last year they seem to have done everything in their power to lose! They released the PS3 much later than expected. The price is exorbitant. The games and graphics are not better than on the Xbox, partly because the development tools for it are incredibly complex to use (every game developer I know has been complaining!). The multimedia and online functions are sub-par. If the three consoles had no legacy of built in fans and backwards compatible games, I would say the Xbox and Wii would do well and the PlayStation 3 would be a disaster – maybe not as bad as the 3DO or NeoGeo, but probably relatively poorly. However, it’s still early in the game and with the legions of fans and catalog of great games and a number of PS3 only exclusive great games, the PS3 will end up doing very well once the teething problems are out. However, this market is no longer Sony’s sole reserve and their 70% market share will go the way of history. In fact, I suspect the Xbox 360 will edge out the PS3 in overall sales over the next few years.

As for the future of the high end console wars, I believe it’s actually Microsoft’s game to lose right now. The original Xbox was released 1 year later than the PS2, yet the Xbox360 was released 1 year earlier than the PS3. By using more off the shelf components, Microsoft benefits from the innovations in the PC industry and the R&D of third party firms. It also keeps their costs lower. If they keep it up, they should be in a position to release the next Xbox much before the PS4 hits the market and take the market with them.

In the interim, if I was running Xbox I would do the following:

• Make Xbox Live free
• As soon as financially viable start cutting the price of the Xbox Core to $249, then $199, and hopefully $149 and $99 after that
• Release an Xbox Pro Wireless with built in Wifi and a headset for Xbox Live bundled for the $399 price of the current Xbox Pro
• For the Xbox 3 in 4-5 years:
1. Match the Wii’s motion sensing controller, but also keep a traditional controller bundled with the device
2. By then the chipset for an HD DVD / Blu-ray drive should cost less than $100, integrate it into the Xbox whichever the winner – or support both
3. Have 802.11n or its successors built in
4. Support 1080p and have an HDMI or successor interface
5. Make sure the console is quiet and does not come with a monster brick power supply – ideally you should be able to plug the power cord directly into the console
6. Be backwards compatible with Xbox360 games
7. Charge no more than $399

As for Nintendo, I have written them off too many times before to do so again. My original instinct was that the motion sensing controller would be a fad, but I am sure they are going to come up with great games and applications designed specifically for it, in a similar way that they surprised me with the touchpad on the DS. As a result I predict they will do very well, especially with younger gamers, casual gamers and first time gamers (meaning formerly non gamers).

In other words, I suspect that when it’s all said and done and we’re tallying the number of consoles sold at the end of 2010, all 3 makers will have installed bases of more than 50 million, maybe even 100 million, devices splitting the market 3 ways with maybe a 10-15% market share difference between them. My instinct would be that Xbox360 and the Wii would come out on top with the PS3 lagging behind.

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