Playing on the Go

Sony off-handedly made a statement last week that they would be making
a skype for the psp handheld gaming system. My response….nice
thinking sony, you just killed the only edge the mylo had over the
psp, the unpopular mylo costing around $200 compared to the psp’s $120
price tag.

In this move by Sony, they slapped mylo owners in the face and gave
the victory to the homebrew kiddies because they’re really the only
ones still using the, what was it called? PORTABLE GAMING System! When
it came out that was the intention I got no idea what mechanized
horror it has mutated into. Maybe I’m being harsh but it’s the harsh
truth.

I myself am a semi-proud owner of one of these purpose-confused
buggers and am still considering a downgrade to run homebrews. I
scoured the Internet to find a decent voip app but failed the hunt.
This news of SONY supported voip might actually drive me to dust off
my PSP now turned bookend and start chatting with some skype
buddies but don’t hold your breath….

Today’s Friday Travel is more or less a way for those who aren’t attending the event featured today to be jealous. That would include yours truly. Had air travel not been as questionable and as expensive as it currently is, perhaps it would have been within the realm of consideration.

Existing since 2004 when Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik, alternatively known as Gabe and Tycho, sought out a public gaming convention that gave equal attention to computer, console, and tabletop games. No such show existed, so with the branding of their ridiculously popular web comic, one was born anew as Penny Arcade Expo within the Seattle Washington area.

If anything, PAX, as it as known in shorthand, has become Dragon Con Northwest for Gamers. While it sufficiently and fully covers the topics that it advertises exceptionally well, it also ventures into other areas. Music, for example. Video game cover bands such as The MiniBosses and other geek musicians such as MC Frontalot, Optimus Rhyme, and Boba the Fett himself MC Chris have attended the con. Larger companies have made notice as well. In past years, the show has gained the support of top tier sponsors such as Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony. As covered earlier this week, these companies have grown fond of the show enough to preview upcoming games there. A tradition previously reserved exclusively for shows such as E3. However, Penny Arcade marked the first time that the public at large could officially do such things without going under the guise of a fake journalist. E For All is simply a mockery in this regard, PAX founded this ground.

The show this year promises to be the biggest yet, with keynote speaker and Geek Warlord Wil Wheaton delivering top branding as well. Big showings are expected as well, notably a full demonstration of the upcoming Rock Band. This all sounds awesome, right? But here’s the bad news. It’s this weekend. Far too late for you to go to at a whim unless you happen to live in the Seattle area. However, the iron is hot for next year. Should you want to attend, now is the time to make plans for next August. It’s becoming insanely popular and will mostly tend to favor those who plan well ahead of time.

pennyarcade, pax

Should you ever find yourself in the desolate land of the NYC, you’ll undoubtedly find yourself in the vicinity of Times Square sooner or later. Whether you are a first time tourist or seasoned New York visitor, all roads eventually lead to the crossroads of the world where it would seem all of pop culture has vomited upon one solitary spot. If you are already that seasoned vet and are reading this blog, chances are you’ve already been to the place in feature today. If not, make sure that you set aside the time to check out the Nintendo World store in that fair city. Not only is it a fine store in of itself, but it’s also a mecca of Nintendo as well as video game history altogether.

Once you enter the store, you’ll be subjected to the same sort of fancy advertising and consumerism that you would come to expect in any given Best Buy or specialty retailer, but delve a little deeper and you’ll soon find a plethora of history. Featured items include everything from the famous Gulf War I Game Boy (which still works), as well as some of the cooler exhibits you can see. To give you a taste of the place, in later 2006, Matt Casamassina of IGN gave what is probably the best YouTube tour of the palace of love below.

Of course, the store has changed somewhat in a years time. Gamecubes are lesser, while Wii’s are in more abundance. Of course, the store, as seen above, is also an archive of Nintendo products. Not only what you are sure to have seen already, but practically ever alteration possible of past products.

In summary, while it may be the ambition of every fan to attend an event such as E3, the Nintendo World store can be considered a branch location of that type of lunacy. Make sure to make it a destination should you ever visit Manhattan. If you’ve been there but have not ventured into the location, shame on you.

[images via flickr user spike55151]

travel, nintendo, nintendoworldstore, gba, wii

(This post will begin a regular Friday feature, which will appear here obviously each Friday unless there is “megaton news” going on. As part of our title includes the phrase “on the go”, we’ll take a look at just where you can take said gaming while you are on that go. This Friday feature may include looks at where handhelds are being played, sold, or whatever. It’ll be a little different than what you are used to on most gaming blogs, but I’m hoping you’ll enjoy it.)

It’s a slow day, so let us take this opportunity to allow ourselves a look into the cradle of our little subset of civilization which rests within the land of the rising sun. We’ll take a little visit to Sofmap in Akihabara, Japan.

The second podcast that I’d like to feature here is DS:Life, which is quite a bit different than what had previously been featured. While not containing the high production values and glam of an NPR podcast, DS:Life is much more narrow in focus. Which in this case, is a great thing. The podcast crew here takes a much more smaller approach instead of the broader ones presented in other gaming podcasts. Here, the crew often takes on topic or game and spends the entirety of the program on it. It’s also more intimate in how they allow for a toll free number that listeners can call to leave comments or questions.

Currently, they seem to be experiencing technical difficulties and haven’t updated with a new show since the release of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl. In the meantime, be sure to sample them out.

nintendods, podcast, pokemon