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When a big name video game console launches, heads turn. Last fall, a heavy-weight titan launched a week before the little white console that could. Three months after these launches, it is much easier to compare the pros and cons of each launch. As a Nintendo fanboy, I am quite content with the fact that Nintendo has out sold the PS3 thus far at nearly a 4:1 margin. However, it has not been a complete cake walk. Today, I want to take a look at how Nintendo could succeed so well while making many mistakes with their North American launch.

Five reasons why Nintendo has a better launch then the PS3.

1. Launch games - Some people have stated that the Wii is currently in a software drought. I would highly argue this. Hands down, the Wii had a stronger line-up of software then the PS3. Many Wii titles might have been last-gen ports, however those titles still produced relatively great games. The Wii also has a great amount of GameCube games which are much more relevant to gamers because NO ONE owned a GameCube. These games are brand new to many of the 4.5 million Wii owners. Nintendo has also dished out some great games through the Virtual Console. Many great hits are now available for cheap downloads.

2. The system is fun - I arrived home at about 1:00 AM on November 20th, 2006 after waiting at Wal-Mart over 12 hours for a launch system. Upon entering the house, my mother was waiting up in order to play "that tennis game I saw them talking about on CNN and NBC." People like my mom don't understand Blue-Ray and what it does for gaming. They do realize that swinging a remote control like a tennis racket can be fun.

3. The Wii is a social hit - The "Wii would like to play" commercials were a hit. Playing was believing. Upon returning back to college with my Wii, I found my room full of people nearly twenty-four hours a day playing Wii Sports. WarioWare and ExciteTruck have kept our interest lately. The system is a social phenomenon.

4. The price is right - $250 was about $50 more than I had originally hoped the Wii would be. However, nearly everyone I have met finds this price to be more than satisfactory. The system is the cheapest of the next generation consoles and it arguably offers the most fun. What a bargain.

5. Modesty - I have not seen the Regginator offer $1200 for any Wii found lying on a store shelf. Miyamoto did not state that the Wii would sell 5 million units even if it didn't have any games. Nintendo has been much more modest then their competitors thus far. Consumers seem to be loving this corporate attitude.

Five reasons why Nintendo had a worse launch then the PS3.

1. Nintendo failed to build up enough hype - People waited in line for over 48 hours in order to buy a PS3. This pre-launch hype might not benefit Sony right now. It will benefit Sony in the future when the price of the system drops and parents see "that thing that people waited 3 days for" at an affordable price.

2. Lack of an on-line vision - Sony seems to have a decent plan ahead of them with their online network. Nintendo has been a mixed bag. The Virtual Console has been a success, but what about the other online components? We know very little about Nintendo's future online plans which has scared away many potential buyers.

3. Availability - While the PS3 hasn't sold as many units as the Wii, Sony has been outgoing with the fact that they have ramped up unit production. I have seen PS3s in store and have had the opportunity to purchase about 20 of the units if I wanted to. I have not seen a Wii in store since launch night. Nintendo needs to ramp up production in order to meet demand. This also applies to the DS Lite. The portable brother of the Wii has been almost as hard to find in the same period. People can't buy units if they aren't available.

4. Wiinjuries - Injuries caused by playing the Wii have been the only cause of bad press for the system so far. Web sites have been formed in order to showcase horrific bodily injuries. Wiimotes flying through televisions have also been the focus of many fansites. Nintendo did take quick action by changing the Wiimote strap design. However, that doesn't help the guy who tore his ACL or the family with a hole in their new 42' plasma.

5. Nintendo still has the kiddy image - Games like Sadness and Manhunt 2 look to fix this problem. Nevertheless, Nintendo still has a "kiddy" reputation in the gaming world. Nintendo needs to fix this problem by luring in several big name third-party developers in order to ditch the long standing image and win over the hard-core gaming audience.


These are 10 small things that I saw present throughout the Wii launch. Like the list or not, Nintendo still had a very successful launch. Still, 3 months do not determine a console race. It will be interesting to see how Nintendo's system preforms in 2007.

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Note from Cameron - Here is a great review that Tom Platte, tech director of the WiiChat.com Show, put together for our show. You can find the short version of the review in episode 4 of the WiiChat.com Show. However, I highly suggest that you check out this full-length review in order to get a good idea of what the game offers.

Tom's Review for Those Cheap at Heart
Beyond Good and Evil - Review by Tom Platte

Let it be known I love RPGs and good stories. Such views may change the outcome of any and all reviews.

STORY:
I’ll get right to the meat of why this game was so good and why it let me down on occasion. First, the best part of this game: the characters. No other game has had such amusing characters. I use the word amusing because, of course, your longer games (RPGs) are going to have better character development, more dynamic characters, etc. On the other hand, Beyond Good and Evil has by far the most entertaining characters in any game I can remember playing. Although the main character suffers from the all too common cliché stock character of the enigmatic individual out to safe the world, this time with a camera, the supporting cast will blow the average gamer away. From the main characters that the player doesn’t control down to the simplest walrus-man walking the streets, each has intensity and humor not found in any characters in other such games. What other game has a pig with fart powered boots, or a blundering knight who routinely shouts “Carlson and Peeters!” (the local code of ethics), or Jamaican Rhino repair men. I guess that I’m selling the main character a little short. It is rare to see a female hero that isn’t oversexed, and despite the slightly revealing clothing, Jade is probably one of the best heroines this side of Samus. All together, the characters help to not only complement the plot, but also to provide ample amounts of comic relieve to a surprisingly dark game. Which brings me to the main story: there is only one problem with this story. I mean, it’s slightly cliché, yes, the evil alien race and the mysterious foreign army combating it are (surprise surprise) working together (you realize this within 10 minutes of booting up the disk). Without giving away too much I can say that a slightly epic story springs forth detailing the adventures of main character, Jade, and varying sidekicks, gathering information for the local resistance newspaper. This story does have a good dynamic in the “photographing evidence” portion and the characters move it along fantastically. It is also surprisingly dark for the art style and the oftentimes childish humor (which is very well done, but still Nicktoons friendly). It’s difficult to explain the reason for this darkness without revealing the plot, so I’ll move on. There is one huge problem with this game: just as your questions are beginning to be answered, the end hits you like a ton of bricks. It sucks. It’s downright horrible. The final boss leads you up to some great epiphany and instead, THE END. That’s it. My friend loves the ending, but I needed more closure, mostly because the game is short (10 hours, maybe 15 if you try everything). The developers were clearly hoping for a sequel, but that doesn’t look promising the way this one sold, so instead we’re left with a sorry excuse for an ending.

Pros: Amazing characters
Good story dynamics
“CARLSON AND PEETERS!!!!”
Cons: A bit Cliché
Horrible, horrible, horrible ending (maybe even worse than FFVII)

Story: 7/10

GAMEPLAY:
Yeah, this is really what matters I guess, at least to the “normal” gamer. So here it is plain and simple. This game does a lot of things amazingly well. The game play at first feels like a Zelda clone (the stick combat felt a lot like sword). However, as you progress through the game, you realize this game is much more based on stealth, after all it would make little sense for a rogue reporter to run busting in and beat the living crap out of all the bad guys and then collect evidence. Actually the combat and stealth systems are very like the Prince of Persia games, also produced by Ubisoft. Stealth aspects of the game were well done. They are neither too hard, nor necessarily painfully easy. However, at times the lack of enemy type (after the first “dungeon” or so get used to seeing the generic soldier enemy, as that will be more or less all you’ll be facing) leads the combat as well as the stealth to be a bit of a chore. The game makers clearly made up for this by making the aforementioned soldiers incredibly fun to defeat. If there’s one thing I can say for sure about this game is that it was meticulously put together. Puzzles were relatively easy and never felt like much of a bother, but once again, they were generally something everyone has seen before. All in all the combat, stealth and puzzles were average; entertaining, but not really innovative. Luckily all of these features functioned fantastically. Although somewhat dull, I never got frustrated with overly difficult stealth or painfully difficult combat (the exception may be the final boss, but once you figure out a pattern, even that proved manageable). I would say that overall the difficultly seemed very on par for the length of the game and the type of combat. It defiantly felt more balanced than, say, Twilight Princess (in which relatively difficult dungeons led to painfully easy bosses). However, what saves the game play from being overwhelmingly average is the photography portion of the game. Taking photographs of the wildlife is your main source of income, and is, mercifully, very entertaining. Overall the process is very reminiscent of the “scan” feature in the Metroid Prime games. (Huh, Zelda and Metroid, I wonder if Ubisoft was going for something here…). Photographs also played a big part in the main story, as you would have to collect enough photos of evidence for the ability to move farther along in the level. This was a cool feature in relation to the stealth. I really enjoyed the way the game made you feel as if you were in constant danger that was not easily overcome through your sub-par combat skills. Each “evidence” photograph not only advanced the story but felt like a true accomplishment. In addition to the photography aspect, every once in a while the game would through in a very innovative or fun sequence. Whether it be an interesting boss sequence (which, although very few in number, proved to be quite fun), or a fixed camera sprint away from guards, Beyond Good and Evil defiantly threw its share of curve balls with a skill and wit. Overall although dull at points, and unoriginal in many senses, the game play easy keeps your attention for the 10 or so hours it takes you to complete the story.

Pros: Reporting/Camera aspects well done
Fun sequences
Stealth/Fighting well designed and relatively entertaining
Cons: Fighting can easily become a chore
Needs more enemy types
Short game

Gameplay: 8/10

LITTLE STUFF:
By “Little Stuff” I mean controls/camera/sound/graphics. First of all the controls worked perfectly fine. Occasionally the “zoom” feature of the photo camera seemed sluggish, but it wasn’t a big deal. The game camera worked very well with the c-stick controlling. The fixed camera which popped up at times was helpful for solving puzzles. Every now and then, generally while fighting, the camera became a slight issue, but this occurs in all action/adventure games, so once again, no biggie. The sound was perfect. The music was amazingly done. The voice acting complemented the already amazing characters excellently. The little things the music crew accomplished in this game are likely the most amazing thing. I would go as far to say as this game has the sound of any game I’ve ever played. The graphics were cartoony in the style of Timesplitters. Character looked nice, although environments looked slightly flat. All in all not great graphically, but it is still merely a Gamecube game. These little things may seem slightly unimportant, but they are what brought at best was an average game to be a game that everyone should defiantly try to play.

Pros: Perfect sound/voice acting
Responsive controls
Well controlled camera
Cons: N/A

Little Stuff 10/10

OVERALL:
Despite the fact that Beyond Good and Evil was a very average action/adventure game, the things it did well, the little details, the characters, and the simple feeling of fun you had when playing it made it a great game. If this game were to be perfect, I would have liked to see more depth in length, more enemy types, and a good ending. I would say that if you are able to find this game in a bargain bin or used that the 10 hours are well worth around a bargain price.

Pros: Characters
Music/Voice Acting
“Reporter” aspect
Cons: THE END
Short
Not many enemy types

Overall: 8/10

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Really, I am not trying to game the system. Hell, I will even submit this story myself. If you are going to bury the story, bury it because I did a self-submission. Don't bury my idea. I want to propose an idea to the Digg community.

Is it remotely possible for 5% of the Digg community to "Digg" one single story?

I am a huge Digg user. I visit the site 2-3 times a day in order to get my tech news. I listen to Diggnation weekly. I pretty much bleed yellow, blue, and that olive green color.

So anyways, I was sitting in bed last night after checking out Digg. A quote popped into my head. It is a recent quote from Kevin Rose.

Now, as the site has matured and we regularly get 5,000+ content submissions per day, we believe there are better ways to discover new friends based on your interests and what you’re digging. So if you have been digging stories about digital cameras and Oolong tea, you will be introduced to other top users with those interests.

We’re currently working on designing and refining the technologies required that will help enable our nearly 900,000 registered users to make real connections that we believe will greatly enhance the Digg experience – whether you’re brand new to the site or have been on Digg since the beginning. We plan on rolling this out in the coming months along with features and programs that do a better job of rewarding positive contributions to the Digg community.

The 900,000 users kept sticking out in my head. I was curious; would it be even remotely possible for only 5% of the users on Digg.com to digg the same story? It really doesn't seem like that hard of a task on paper. 5% is nothing. If only half the registered users on Digg actively participate on the site, only 1 out of every 10 would need to digg a story. Not too bad, right? At least 5% of Digg should be active diggers.

It sounds easy until you actually look at the numbers. 5% of Digg users digging the same story would result in over 45,000 diggs. The most story on Digg with the most about of diggs is the Apple iPhone announcement with 21186 diggs as of this writing.
45,000 diggs would double the amount of diggs for the most dugg story of all-time. A story which was dugg by 5% of registered users would see more diggs than the deaths of Steve Irwin, James Kim, and Saddam Hussein COMBINED.

Is it still possible to have 5% of Digg users digg one story? Most likely not. Digg has grown into a internet behemoth where only a small portion of members actually participate. Hundreds of thousands of people might visit the site everyday and click a few links. However, stories on Digg will never be an accurate representation of the interests of the viewing population until more users actively voice their opinion and digg stories.

So, will any story ever be dugg by 5% of the Digg population? I doubt it, however it would be quite interesting to see the reaction around the community if one digg. I can only imagine the comments.

I have a friend who kind of pushed me to write this post. He is a big fan of internet fads and tenancies of internet users. We were discussing our loves for the internet and everything that goes along with it. After several minutes of conversation, we decided that several fundamental rules applied to the internet. These are ten commandments which should be comment knowledge to all users.

I hope you all find this entertaining.

All right, let's do this...TEN INTERNET COMMANDMENTS!!!!JEEEENNNNKKKIIINNNSSS.

10. If you don't know, Wikipedia that shit. - Need to find out who was CEO of Ford Motor Company from 1985-1990? How about the history of Sega? If you don't know, Wikipedia has the answer.

9. NSFW really means, NSFW. - If you see a little (NSFW) by a link on any web page, don't click unless you are willing to deal with the worst possible image of all-time. This can apply in many situations. Goatse, Tubgirl, and anything involving an infection are usually great links to stay away from. Don't believe me? Try a Google Image search.

8. You are never the 1,000,000th visitor to a web page, you will not win a prize. - I don't know why people ever believe that these are true. However, if you ever receive an pop-up stating that you are some milestone visitor to the page, forget it. You didn't win shit.

7. Why the fuck are you not using Firefox? - I apologize for the harsh language. However, if you are using IE, what the hell is wrong with you? Save your computer and use Firefox as a web browser. You will thank me, I promise.

6. Since you downloaded Firefox, try other open source software too! - Firefox works great, doesn't it? You know what the best part about it is? It didn't cost a penny. Great things in life can be free! Why not download OpenOffice? It is nearly identical to Mircosoft Office and it also doesn't cost a penny. Use Skype to talk to friends, get rid of spyware with AdAware, or try out Thunderbird for e-mails instead of Outlook. Tons of great things are available online for free!

5. Become bi-lingual. - In the business world, knowing two languages is becoming more important each day. In the internet world, the same problem has occurred. However, it isn't necessary to learn Spanish or Chinese. The internet language is l337 son. And if you don't know it, you're gonna get pwn3D!

4. Use RSS feeds for news. - Nearly every news site on the internet today has an RSS feed. Check out the RSS feed for your favorite site so that you don't have to load the web page every time you want information. Don't know what an RSS feed is or how to use one? Wikipedia that shit.

3. Learn to use Google and learn it well. - Many people might claim that they know how to use Google, or any search engine for that matter. The truth is, most people have no idea about how to use Google effectively. You need to learn Boolean search techniques as well as which worlds help get you the best results in order to get the results you need.

2. Bookmarking works wonders. - Do you ever find a site that peeks your interest just a little? Bookmark it! You never know when that site will become useful once again. Firefox has bookmark folders which work great for keeping large amounts of sites on file. You could also try out a social bookmarking site like Digg or del.icio.us

1. Don't pirate with Limewire! Use BitTorrent, it's faster! - If you need to download anything off the internet, be it a video podcast, legitimate programs, or legal music; use BitTorrent over Limewire or direct downloads. It is a faster service. It also doesn't use precious bandwidth that a direct download takes from a web host.

I hope you guys enjoyed the list. If you have additions, feel free to e-mail them to TeenageFanboy@gmail.com or leave a comment.

This page is brought to you by...
To find any kind of info about a person or business, you should always start with internet yellow pages. It doesn't matter if you want Seattle hospitals, Fort Knox schools, Phoenix restaurants, yellow pages can assist. Yellow pages can assist in finding just about anything you can dream of!

Here is the second episode of the WiiChat.com Show. In this episode, we take a look at a Wii ModChip, Godzilla, and reader e-mails!

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Hey everyone, here is a new little project I have been working on. This is episode one. I am a little bit behind with posting these on the blog. I hope you check it out! Be sure to leave me your opinion.

Also, I ask that you check out the site that this podcast is for, WiiChat!

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I was reading through Digg.com today when I stumbled upon this. The preceding link is a list on Wikipedia which consists of unsolved problems in many different scientific fields. While the Hadwiger-Nelson problem and the existence of one-way functions are interesting, these topics do not make great blog articles. I have decided to work toward something of which I have slightly more expertise. Thus, I present the top ten unanswered questions in the world of Nintendo video games.

10. L is real 2401.

Ten years have passed and some questions still haunt the millions of gamers who have played Super Mario 64. Is L real and will he come in the year 2401? Many have speculated that this refers to Luigi being a playable character in the game. However, Luigi is not a playable character in the original Nintendo 64 classic. Nintendo has never commented officially on this matter.

9. Is the Tri-Force in Zelda: Ocarina of Time?

Today, it is accepted fact that the Tri-Force is not obtainable in Ocarina of Time. Back in 1998, this was one of the most highly debated topics in the gaming world. Today, many still search for the Tri-Force in this legendary game.

8. What happened to Nintendo Pennant Chase Baseball?

The game was all but finished when it was shown to the public about two years ago. Many speculated that MLB licensing agreements led to the cancellation of the game. One would believe that Nintendo would not scrap a finished game which was so close to launch. They would of created a fictional world for the game or something. Today, it is still a mystery as to what happened to Pennant Chase Baseball.

7. Does SEGA realize that Sonic sucks?

Sonic and the Secret Rings will see a Wii release in about a month. Will it suck? SEGA has almost enjoyed killing off their best intellectual property over the last five years or so. Does Sonic still have enough speed left to out run the forces at SEGA which are trying to kill off his existence? I guess that we will find out in a month or so.

6. Why don't the Miis in Wii Sports have arms?

Miis have arms when they are being created. However, once an innocent Mii is thrown into a game of Wii Sports, he or she immediately loses their arms. I mean, just look at this picture. It doesn't even make sense.

5. Why doesn't Zelda have a definite time line? At least, why doesn't Nintendo ever explain the story as a whole?

I was searching for Zelda time line data and I found this little time map by SteveT and Masamune. This time line is ridiculous. No offense to SteveT or Masamune. They did a great job. I just think that Nintendo should answer some of the questions regarding the story for their fans. The story is way too complex with too many conflicting events. Zelda fans deserve story closure.

4. What the hell happened at the end of Beyond Good and Evil?

This game screams sequel. The end of story is epic, yet it leaves many unanswered questions. Just what exactly happens to Jade and friends?

3. What will EA Sports do with John Madden Football after John Madden dies?

Does EA have a vault full of thousands upon thousands of hours of John Madden voice recordings? Just what will happen to this series years down the road? I guess only time will tell.

2. Is Master Hand playable without a GameShark in Super Smash Bros. Melee?

Can Master Hand be unlocked somehow in Super Smash Bros. Melee? Some have argued that he is hackable with a GameShark and that he has a valid move set. This might not ever happen, but it is interesting to think about.

1. Will we ever see a release of Super Mario 128?

Many claim that Super Mario Galaxy will actually be "Super Mario 128." However, I disagree. Many would love to see a true sequel to Super Mario 64. We want a sequel which takes place in the Mushroom Kingdom. Will we ever see a true Super Mario 128?

I hope that you enjoyed my look at 10 gaming mysteries. If anyone has any information which would answer any question I proposed, feel free to e-mail me at TeenageFanboy@gmail.com or by leaving a comment.

For those of you who are unaware, I have started have been working extensively on a project for the website WiiChat.com. It is a video podcast which focuses on the gaming world. If you haven't checked it out, I suggest that you visit the forum for the vidcast here.

Some members of the WiiChat.com forum sent us e-mails requesting to see the set in which we work. Right now, it is a pretty low-budget operation. We taped the second episode last night and managed to grab some pictures of the shoot.


Dillon and I are going over some last minute stuff before we begin the shoot. The Cherry Coke really helps a sore throat.


Our expensive lighting solution. Total cost, $14.78 at Menards. If take a look at the difference in lighting between episode one and episode two, you will see a nice improvement.


My final read through of the script before we begin the show.


An overhead view of the set.


Finally, here is a shot from the finished episode.

Hope everyone enjoyed this small look into the WiiChat.com video podcast. I will work toward getting episodes of that show on Teenage Fanboy this week. For now, if you would like to view that show, check out the link to the forums here.

You can also subscribe to the show on iTunes by clicking here.

Ah, good old Dashboard. This feature of OS X is usually the most loved or most unknown part of the operating system for most users. Dashboard has a nearly limitless amount of uses. Some widgets are for fun, like hangman or Texas Hold'em Poker. Widgets can also help increase your productivity. Today, I am going to focus on some Dashboard widgets which can help increase productivity.

Widgets are great because they only require a button push to open. Web searching or specific internet tasks can be sped up greatly with the help of widgets. Here are 10 great widgets with a short description as to why it is helpful.


1. Dictionary - I use this widget all the time. Great when reading a homework assignment which uses scientific words which you might not know the meaning of. This widget also comes in handy when writing a paper. It has a build in thesaurus in case you can't quiet decide which word you want to use to describe what you are feeling. This widget comes built into OS X.




2. Calculator - Don't dig around your computer desk for that old solar-powered calculator. Use the calculator widget. This widget also comes standard with OS X.








3. Business - Do you often find yourself searching through the Yellow Pages? This handy widget will find any business you want. Just enter in what you are looking for and you will receive a number and address in no time. This also comes standard with OS X.


4. People - Pretty much the same concept as the Business widget. This works great when mailing party invitations. Don't search through the phone book for each name. Just type in the first and last name of the person you want and search. This widget comes standard with OS X.


5. CallWave Text Messaging - Send text messages for free to any cell-phone in the U.S. or Canada. This is great if you want to send someone a quick message, but you don't want go find your cell-phone. It also works with Address Book so that any name and number you have in that program is easily selectable. This widget can be found here.


6. Gas Price Finder - Need gas? Check the prices of all local gas stations before you head out. Could easily help you save a couple cents per gallon every time you fill up. This widget can be found here.


7. Google 2 in 1 - The ultimate Google addition to your Dashboard. This widget has a lot more features than the standard OS X widget. You have the ability to search maps, images, froogle, video services from Google. It also gives the recent news stories below the search bar. This monster search widget can be found here.


8. iStat Pro - Want to know how your Mac is running? Check out this widget with an impressive feature set. Check out your disk space, memory info, and the temperature of your system with this sweet widget. Extremely customizable. This widget can be found here.


9. Translator - I am currently in my second semester of Japanese. This widget is very useful when I need to find a word to use in an assignment. Translates into 13 different languages. Very helpful for anyone foreign language student. This widget comes standard with OS X.


10. Digg RSS Widget - Great if you like keeping up with tech news like I do. This widget checks the Digg.com RSS feed and gives you all the top stories through your Dashboard. Click on any story subject and a link to the story is immediately opened in your browser. This great widget can be found here.



I hope everyone finds these widgets useful. Obviously, this is is only a small list which contains some of the best widgets OS X has to offer. For more great widgets, check out Apple's website here. Feel free to tell me about your favorite widget by e-mailing me at TeenageFanboy@gmail.com or by leaving a comment.