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The Irrelevance of Ultra HD

Chris Davies, Jan 10th 2013 Discuss [0]

CES is about the future of consumer electronics; I get that. We go to see what’s going to make our eyes light up later in the year. But take a glance at our CES 2013 Hub and it’s clear that Ultra HD was the tech most of the big companies were pushing, and it’s arguably the most irrelevant theme to the electronics industry – for the near future, at least – we’ve seen in some years. Not since the very earliest days of 3D have we seen a segment so desperate to validate its own existence, and failing so miserably.

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Columns

Why Motion Gaming Should Be Left Out of the PlayStation 4

Don Reisinger, Jan 10th 2013 Discuss [0]

At the end of February, Sony will be holding a special PlayStation event that, industry experts believe, will be used to show off its next console. Likely dubbed the PlayStation 4, the console is expected to come with an improved online experience, better graphics, and Blu-ray. And since the PlayStation 3 comes with the Move motion-gaming accessory, it’s believed that the console will also integrate a similar function in some way.

But I’m here to tell Sony something. I can appreciate that the company wants to jump on the motion bandwagon made popular by the Wii and arguably better by the Kinect, but bundling such a feature into the PlayStation 4 makes absolutely no sense.

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Columns

Why the Used Game Model Needs Fixing (But Not Banning)

Don Reisinger, Jan 5th 2013 Discuss [0]

With the recent unveiling of a Sony patent application indicating the company was thinking of killing off used games in the PlayStation 4, speculation has run rampant over how such a tool would affect the games industry. There seems to be a general sense that the implementation of such a product would potentially ruin GameStop, and would benefit game makers. Used games, some say, are bad news.

The reality is, used games aren’t really all that bad. In fact, there’s a good chance that the continued growth of used games is helping the industry in an immense way.

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Columns

I expected Apple to jump on Leap Motion first, not ASUS

Chris Davies, Jan 3rd 2013 Discuss [0]

If you can judge a technology’s wow-factor by how much it’s accused of being vaporware, Leap Motion‘s gesture-tracking was a hit from the off; companies jumped on the idea, though it’s perhaps a surprise that the first should be ASUS, not Apple. The matchbox-sized gadget – which can track the movement of ten fingers individually, and 200x more accurately than kit like Microsoft’s Kinect – will soon be integrated into Windows 8 PCs from ASUS, according to a new deal announced today. Microsoft’s OS certainly loves fingers, but Apple’s moves to blend the best of OS X and iOS arguably make it and Leap Motion more obvious bedfellows.

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Columns

My Hope for 2013: Some Small Company Successes

Don Reisinger, Jan 1st 2013 Discuss [0]

I’m fed up with the technology industry. As great as some products are from companies like Apple, Samsung, Sony, and Microsoft, there are countless devices and services in the wild that come from no-name firms that have been ignored.

There was a time in the technology industry that it didn’t matter how much a company had in its marketing budget. If a company’s products were really great, they would be discovered by the tech addicts out there, and then eventually shared with the rest of the world. It was our job as tech lovers to find the good stuff and tell the “average consumer” why they needed something special.

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Columns

Which Console Maker Will Win the Next-Generation Battle?

Don Reisinger, Dec 29th 2012 Discuss [0]

The Nintendo Wii U has kicked off a new generation of consoles. The device, which comes with HD graphics that can about match those we have from the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, will likely be joined by vastly more powerful PlayStation 4 and Xbox 720 consoles at some point in the next year or so.

Once those devices launch, it will be time to handicap the marketplace. Which console will succeed? Which console will fail? And perhaps most importantly, which console will win the next-generation battle?

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Columns

How Popular Is the Wii U, Really?

Don Reisinger, Dec 22nd 2012 Discuss [0]

I have a Wii U. And although I find its motion implementation quite fun at times, and the addition of a second screen a good idea, I haven’t played it at all in the last couple of weeks.

I decided to conduct an informal poll with other people I know who also own a Wii U. I asked them if they’ve been playing with the console much since its launch. Nearly every person said that they played it somewhat heavily in the first week after launch, but little after that.

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Columns

Why the Dual-Screen TV Experience Does Nothing For Me

Don Reisinger, Dec 21st 2012 Discuss [0]

With the launch of Nintendo’s TVii service for the Wii U, the idea of dual-screen entertainment in the living room is coming center stage. Wii U owners will need to decide if the concept of viewing not one, but two, screens to enjoy entertainment in the living room is really for them.

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Columns

Instagram took the lazy, sneaky way out

Chris Davies, Dec 21st 2012 Discuss [0]

Congratulations, internet: your often-ugly filtered photos are safe. Instagram‘s decision to backtrack on its contentious Terms of Service changes have rolled back the clock to how things used to be, the halcyon days of another usage policy you didn’t actually bother reading. Maybe it’s a victory for a vocal user-base, but it also seems a missed opportunity for a legitimately useful change in how our rights are expressed in an age where the cloud has become all-pervasive.

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Columns

Amid Instagram Madness, What Terms of Use Should Take for Granted

Philip Berne, Dec 19th 2012 Discuss [0]

In all the hubbub around the new Instagram Terms of Service, there is one refrain that keeps repeating. It’s one I’ve heard plenty of times before, and it’s the reason I was hesitant to even tackle this issue. I see plenty of pundits saying that I must be an idiot if I did not read the original Terms of Use. I should always read the Terms of Use. What was I expecting? These policies have always already been spelled out in the Terms of Use.

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Columns

You Better Watch Out, You Better Not Google

Philip Berne, Dec 16th 2012 Discuss [0]

It’s a strange time of year to be of my ilk in America. The houses are mostly decked with lights, although I live in that rare North Texas neighborhood of refreshing ethnic diversity where the smells of wonderful cooking waft through the air to mark myriad holidays that our Christian brethren don’t celebrate. The trees appear covered in tinsel and ornaments in the shopping malls, the school classrooms, and the corporate lobbies. The music is relentless and oppressive. Opposing signs admonish me to not forget the religious aspects of the season, while a large man who curates a white beard year round charges $20 for a picture of small children sitting on his groin. It is Christmas, the time of year when many of you celebrate, while the rest of us decide to what extent we are going to lie to our children.

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