Don Reisinger

Author Archive for Don Reisinger

Columns

Why Halo 4 Is the Most Anticipated Game of 2012

Don Reisinger, May 17th 2012 Discuss [66]

Looking at the rest of the year, we can expect some blockbuster video games to hit store shelves. Activision is once again launching a Call of Duty game — Black Ops 2 — and despite my issues with it, Madden NFL from Electronic Arts will undoubtedly be a sales juggernaut towards the end of the summer.

But it’s November that has caught my eye the most. Early on that month, Halo 4 will hit store shelves. Only this time, the game won’t come from the fine folks at Bungie Studios that made the Halo name in the first place. This time around, Halo will be coming from 343 Industries, a part of Microsoft.

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Columns

What’s More Important: Hardware or Software?

Don Reisinger, May 12th 2012 Discuss [58]

It’s an age-old question: hardware or software?

On one hand, the hardware is what you hold or have plugged in. Hardware has all of the components that make your particular device work, and without it, the software would not be accessible. The better the hardware, the more appealing (in theory) the experience.

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Columns

Why I Support Microsoft’s $99 Xbox 360 (And Why You Should, Too)

Don Reisinger, May 10th 2012 Discuss [43]

Looking around the gaming space right now, there is an awful lot of controversy surrounding Microsoft’s recently announced decision to offer its Xbox 360 4GB console with Kinect for $99. In order to get that price, customers must sign up for two years of Xbox Live Gold and pay $15 per month.

According to critics, such pricing can lead to the unraveling of the console market as we know it. Going forward, they say, customers will be forced into online services just to get better pricing on a device. What’s worse, it could see console makers push their prices up, similar to the way carriers do when customers opt to buy a smartphone contract-free, they say.

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Columns

Do You Really Need to Buy New Call of Duty Games Each Year?

Don Reisinger, May 7th 2012 Discuss [29]

The video game industry has once again been thrust into a state of excitement. Every year around this time, Activision unveils a new trailer for the next installment in the Call of Duty franchise. And each year, millions around the globe get ready to buy it up later in the year.

This time around, it’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, a follow-up to the wildly popular Call of Duty: Black Ops released back in 2010, and the successor to last year’s mega-hit Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. By all measure, Black Ops 2 looks to be a fun experience for those who want to play both the single-player campaign and multiplayer.

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Columns

Everyone Is Scared of Amazon – And They Should Be

Don Reisinger, May 4th 2012 Discuss [25]

There was a time when some of the biggest electronics retailers in the world had issues with Amazon. They realized that the online retail giant was able to beat them on price, and with more and more people coming to its site, it had the ability to take them down.

The past is littered with companies that tried to go up against Amazon, including Circuit City, CompUSA, and others. Best Buy is now having some trouble competing against online giants like Amazon, and by the look of things, eventually, only mega retailers like Walmart, as well as small boutiques, might survive the online onslaught.

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Columns

Why Nintendo Should Sell (And Why Sony Should Buy It)

Don Reisinger, Apr 28th 2012 Discuss [154]

I know I’ve been a little tough on Nintendo lately, saying recently that the company should ditch plans for hardware and start licensing its software, and explaining why I believe it won’t be able to chart the gaming industry’s future. And although many Nintendo fans didn’t like it, I’m a firm believer that the company’s recently announced fiscal year losses seem to prove my point.

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Columns

Why There’s No Stopping iTunes

Don Reisinger, Apr 26th 2012 Discuss [50]

Quite often when I buy a product on Amazon, the retail giant offers me the opportunity to download some free tracks from its MP3 store at no charge. And yet, I can’t remember a single time when I’ve taken advantage of the offer. I like free music like the rest of us, but to me, there’s only one multimedia store worth using: iTunes.

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Columns

Would You Play Mario and Zelda On the Xbox?

Don Reisinger, Apr 21st 2012 Discuss [107]

Last week, I ruffled the feathers of some Nintendo fans who took issue with my contention that the company will no longer chart gaming’s future. As popular as the game company appears to be, it’s losing ground to Microsoft and Sony. And as time goes on and it consistently fails to deliver next-generation ideas, it’ll only continue to lose ground.

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Columns

Without Movies, Netflix Is Dead In the Water

Don Reisinger, Apr 19th 2012 Discuss [37]

There was a time when Netflix was a special company. The firm had come up with a new idea that would take out outdated companies, like Blockbuster and Hollywood Video, by allowing customers to get access to titles in the mail. Meanwhile, it was proving that with the right idea and some cash, any startup could take down an entrenched company.

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Columns

Why Nintendo Won’t Determine Gaming’s Future

Don Reisinger, Apr 14th 2012 Discuss [63]

There’s no question Nintendo has made a huge impact on the gaming industry. Over the last couple of decades, Nintendo has been a change agent in the gaming space, prompting companies to look to the future when developing games or hardware.

Remember Super Mario 64? It was the first time that we saw Mario in all of his 3D glory and the first time, for sure, that we realized how fun 3D platforming could be. The Nintendo Entertainment System and the Super NES forced other companies to invent new ideas just to keep up. Even the Nintendo Wii, which was first to deliver fun motion-gaming, has set off a craze that might never be stopped.

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Columns

Cable Cord Cutting? Ha! Never!

Don Reisinger, Apr 12th 2012 Discuss [24]

I’ve often been asked by friends and family that have made the leap if I would ever consider cutting out cable television, ditching my service with my provider, and moving into the great, cord-cutting frontier. Those who press me say that if I make the move, I’ll be able to enjoy nearly all the same entertainment, but I will no longer need to pay Time Warner Cable for the, uh, privilege, of using its service.

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Columns

Why Next-Gen Gaming Consoles Will Let You Play Used Games

Don Reisinger, Apr 7th 2012 Discuss [62]

Whether some want to believe it or not, all next-generation video game consoles, including the PlayStation 4 and Xbox 720, will allow you to play used games.

For those who haven’t been listening to the latest rumors surrounding the next-generation consoles, there’s talk of the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox 720 potentially coming with a feature that would block users from playing used games. The move, the reports’ sources say, could dramatically aid the industry in lessening the impact of used games.