What Nintendo Got Right

I'm a geek but a simple geek and when it comes to gaming console I have fallen away from the whole genre...until this Christmas. I played Nintendo Wii with my grandson Casey, and I have to say, I want one. Why? Because for me they make gaming fun again. Come to think about it the last gaming console I really had fun with was a Nintendo. I have had a PlayStation, we have a PlayStation2 (and the only time I really use it when the grandson is over and if we do not play games like Star Wars, Crash Bandicoot I do not use unless to watch movies on it) and forget buying a PlayStation3 or an XBOX 360, I can't see myself paying that much for a gaming console. I have buddies that have these gaming console but I'm going to be honest, I do not like the sport games, especially WWF (my grandson has tried to teach me to play the game it makes me just sick and tired just thinking about it). If it's not a adventure game or just "fun" I'm not interested.

Christmas has sparked my love for video games with the Wii. Nintendo, known for Donkey Kong, Mario Brothers, games that make me want to go out and plunk down money. I'm from the old school. I pulled up old games for my grandson on the net (Space Invaders, Tempest, Battle Zone, Elevator Action, and of course Frogger & Ms. Pac Man)...games for me that makes time fly. I'm not taking away from the XBOX and PlayStation gamers but for me I do not want to take hours on top of hours learning to "this combination" and "that combination" to play a game. Some gadgets I want to learn, I need to learn but when it comes to gaming, I want to not think so hard, I just want to play and have fun.

Nintendo did right and what the other two companies(Microsoft and Sony) did wrong was two things...first the price of the console and two...they made their gaming cosole fun. Even with the low end of the Playstation 3 (40GB unit) the price is still $400 and the low end of and XBOX 360 is $350. The Wii is $100 less and most of their games are $10 less than the xbox 360 and playstation 3.

I'm not knocking the true gamers because that is your thing. The graphics in these games now blow me away and if I was into sports, adventure(well, I do like adventure games but I think to die hard gamers "Crash Bandicoot does not count) but some of us just want to turn on a game console, learn a few moves and have at the game. I guess the only bad thing is that Nintendo can't make them quick enough to stay on the shelves which is a shame because from what I'm hearing they lost $1 billion because of this but this should let the other two companies know that most of us just want to have fun and to be able to share with the entire family.

Nintendo, you got it right.

For more info on how Nintendo is running rings around its competitors check out...

With Wii and DS, Nintendo has two hit game devices

The Little Engine That Couldn't(from my TechMusicGospel Blog)

to read Sunday's devotions>>>click here

How come the Sony Minidisc never took off in the US here I will never know. I love my minidisc players. Me and Whirly were chatting a couple of days ago about them. We both enjoy our minidisc players and the sound quality is excellent. I have about 4 of them (a new model came out each year and I snatch them up). Whirly was telling me that some Opera singers have them and I remember I was reading an acticle on Billy Graham and in the picture some had the same model I had recording a interview with Mr. Graham!

This small machine is really cool. I have a older model but with one 80minute minidisc and setting the recording mode to LP4 it will hold 5 hours of information you need. I really enjoy them because of the input jacks. they have a line in jack (right now I'm transferring music I still have on cassettes, ), a microphone jack, a usb jack for when you wish to transfer CD tracks or any mp3 songs to the minidisc. I still have the original software to the first minidisc player I have because I have tried the other software and to honest, it sucks to me(one strike against Sony, sad to say). Maybe their new software is better, I downloaded it but haven't got up the nerve to take it for a spin yet. I wish I could transfer the music from the minidisc to the computer (strike two Sony) because I would record podcast with the minidisc and transfer them to upload, but I will begin using Roxio software program to record my podcast(okay Sony, ball one...the count is 1 and 1).

Overall I'm glad Whirly and I had the conversation because when I got home Friday I took them out again, found my minidiscs, found my power outlet for the minidisc player, found my cords for recording via USB and analog and now I'm writing about this wonderful little tool. :-)


I recently went on Sony's website and they only have one model they are selling, I think they are phasing them out which would be sad because this is a gadget really worth having and if that's the case, I'm guarding mine with my life. I dropped one in 2002 and I was crushed, so now I when I use mine I just set it to play, leave it on my belt or in my pocket and do not pull it out until it stops playing(no I don't...I'm not that parinoid but I am very cautious now).

Sony minidisc player...The Little Engine That Couldn't(well...not here in the USA anyway).

Please comment...let me know if there are any Vox neighbors that own these little gems and that me and Whirly are not the only people in the US that have them. LOL

(WTH...What The Heck...instead of WTF) while searching for images on Google...tell me what does this picture has to do with minidisc? LOL)

Another 'Toy' From Sony......

Review: Mylo price tag may
keep away target audience>>>more
from CNN.com|Tech

I like Sony products...I really do. i have a couple of Mini-Disk players (why they never took off here I will never know), most of the time I'm using Sony's earbuds for my iPod more so for Apple's earbuds. My buddy Luis can't stand Sony and there are some things I don't like about Sony (does rookits ring a bell?)

This little gadget may or may not take hold here in the states but I'm pretty sure it will take off overseas.
other articles: podcast studio in your pocket, With iPods, Apple refuses to rest on its laurels, Nokia launches 3G phone capable of video calling

photos: cnn and google image