It just occurred to me today that Microsoft's Games on Demand service coming this August might be a hint of another Xbox 360 SKU. Yes, I know it's unlikely with Project Natal in the pipeline, but humor me for a minute.

Games on Demand in my opinion could result in a slim Xbox 360 next year with the Valhalla chip that combines the CPU and GPU to reduce heating, improves performance and most importantly reduce on the risk of a RRoD or E74 error. The last major flaw in the 360's design is the disc drive which Microsoft have cleverly not supported under their 3 year warranty.

Now, what if Microsoft came out with a slim 360 that was HDD based only. You have the newly improved hardware and all you'd need is a large enough proprietary HDD (say minimum 320 gigabytes) to support your Games on Demand service. Coupled with all the streaming capabilities with their video services, you wouldn't necessarily need the space for anything but games. This would help cut a few costs in hardware production, gather more revenue for direct online purchases and help reduce cost of system returns provided the new hardware is quite stable.

I know that just like the up an coming PSP Go, this would be a business leap of faith for your consumers. It means purchased download games cannot be traded and in turn reducing the quantity of purchases given people don't like to take chances on non-retail products. The only way something like this could benefit everyone is if there was a downloadable rental service.

Either way, I think Microsoft might be on to something. Sony might be testing the waters with download only merchandise on the PSP Go, but there's no way they could do so with larger games taken from Blu-ray discs. Yes, you can buy larger off the shelf HDD's, but if there's 50 gigabytes of space taken per game, Microsoft's method of using dual-layered DVD's might net you more content on a larger HDD with games clocking in around 8 gigabytes. 

I recently got inFAMOUS on PS3 and thought I'd give our great community members the chance to win my in game voucher for the Uncharted 2: Among Thieves multiplayer beta that starts on June 3rd. All you have to do is post a comment between May 29th and June 2nd. The winner will be randomly drawn at 5pm EST. Make sure to leave your PSNID so I can send you a message on PSN so you can redeem the code on your PS3 and download from there. If you prefer I send you the code via a PM on TAG please mention that in your comment. Good luck!

 P.S. For those of you wondering why I'm not using it, I've yet to play the first Uncharted and don't want anything spoiled in the new one. Cheers. :)

[Major Edit] Looking at the small print the code is valid to U.S. and Canadian residents only. I deeply apologize to those that entered who do not live in North America. That type was really small. :(

Wow, it's been over a month since my last blog post. Today's topic of discussion: the redundant lamentations on the PS3. I've been really wanting to get back into the PlayStation platform so I had to sacrifice a few games and a couple of handhelds to do so since work is scarce and I was desperate for dual console ownership. I also surmised that with the release of the DSi recently and a PSP2 on the way next year, I should be able to wait before digging my claws into portable gaming again.

I will say this - I am content with what the PS3 currently offers but not ecstatic. I really thought that by now they would have caught up to some Xbox Live ready features. Take for example recent PlayStation Network games Burn Zombie Burn and Ragdoll Kung-Fu: Fists of Plastic. I made the mistake of purchasing one with the assumption the game would have online multiplayer. To my dismay - no.

Don't get me wrong, I think Burn Zombie Burn is a fun and comical shooter, but I was looking forward to playing this with fellow TAG members. Well, lesson learned, I'll have to read the full description of the game first. I did so with Ragdoll Kung-Fu: Fists of Plastic. The game is akin to say Super Smash Brothers Brawl and the XBLA game Small Arms. Surely it would have online multiplayer. Wrong again!

I understand that a lot of people still prefer the option of playing couch games with friends, but surely in this day and age we should be given options. Hell, Small Arms has online multiplayer and it's not excellent.

Maybe I've just grown too accustomed to Xbox Live's offerings and standards. Not that it's the be all end all of gaming services, but in comparision I know that I'm paying an extra $50 dollars yearly for online, chat, weekly bargins and fairly good uptime. 

I feel like doing a contest as I have the pictured Gamer Graffix skin that I found at a discount store a month back that I won't be using since getting my Xbox 360 Elite. I had bought two and the previous one looked really nice on my other console so maybe someone might like this. 

The item is new and sealed and this contest is open to all site members. I'm sure I can ship this overseas no problem. Post a comment here and I will randomly draw a number and contact the winner via PM. The drawing will be done on  March 17 @ 12pm EST.

Good luck!

I was watching EP Daily today and it was announced that GDC Canada will be held in Vancouver this summer. Victor Lucas was speaking to a few devs and how it will benefit development in my country. One topic of note was that they'll be discussing is the further implementation of multiplayer as it's become such a social experience this generation.

This got me thinking as how could multiplayer be incorporated into a story driven game such as an RPG like Mass Effect. One thing I liked about that game was the dialog tree and how the choices you made could affect your characters alignment and how the universe perceived your character.

What if something like this could be implemented for a multiplayer story driven RPG. Say you have 4 players, each customizing a character and race of their choosing and each with their own dialog tree. As the story progresses you all encounter NPC's to interact with and depending on which character speaks to the NPC first and the player's choice of dialog it affects what responses in the other 3 players dialog tree appear.

Sounds ambitious and complicated doesn't it? However I'm unaware if something like this has been approached for a multiplayer game. I know for the upcoming MMO The Old Republic they're incorporating an NPC sidekick that's affected by your choices and in turn reacts to them, but to experience a fully driven story with friends I don't think has been done before.

Unless someone knows something I don't.  

I was so close to buying something off the Xbox Live Marketplace today but I was 40 points short. How often does that happen to you and do you think it hinders your opportunity to add something new to your existing game? Better yet, are companies like Microsoft and Nintendo who use the points system potentially missing out on a few sales?

The reason I'm asking is that if they had it set up where you could just buy the item outright for its point value, do you think they'd lose more revenue from the current scheme of they'll buy in bulk over and over? Granted, the transaction method I propose of buying outright would only benefit credit card holders, but the points system is still awkward and annoying.

I can understand the use of it for say iCoke or the Pepsi Store if you're silly enough to spend excessive amounts of money for a 10,000 point watch, but for video game content - why must we tolerate it? I know, it's the system they put in place and if you really want the DLC you'll go out for another card. 

I understand this blog post reads as a futile rant. Companies like Sony that have a dollar amount system in place use cards as well that I'd have to go out and buy if I ran out, often having cents left over. One fact still remains...

I don't need a bloody site like this to tell me the real dollar amount I'm spending!

Last week I was browsing the EB Games website and stumbled on an upgrade promotion that if you trade in 5 select games you could get an Xbox 360 Elite for $299. I had a few unplayed games  and though I had an Arcade already my plans for buying a 120 GB HDD and the HD kit calculated to the same price as if I were to pay the remainder with trade in values. So I went with it.

 Here's where it gets stranger after the jump.

Last year after E3 I made a decision that I thought was right - I sold my PS3. My reasoning at the time was that with the announcement of Home being region locked, a non-video store to regions outside the US, my Xbox 360 would be all I needed as it had a majority of features Sony would surely release in my country in a year or two.

Fast forward to present day and Home has been released with mixed opinions and we've yet to get a video store in my region. However, as a gaming system that plays Blu-ray movies and the announcement of PlayStation Network games from this years Spring Fever showcase, I'm regretting my decision. Sony compaired to Xbox right now is looking like a sexy minx while the 360 is showing the signs of cougerville.

It's all about presentation. I think I wouold rather get my network gaming announcements from two lovely ladies via Qore and Pulse than some grey haired guy trying to be hip for the youngsters. XBLA doesn't have artistic titles like Flower and the PixelJunk games which really look enticing. That and I miss playing the Super Stardust HD demo (even though I own the PSP version). XBLA lately just feels like a rehashing of the same old stuff, revisions of old classics and the community games aren't really enticing. Not to mention I dislike having the need for a $ to MSPT converter.

I know it's argued that the PlayStation Network doesn't have great online, no headset out of the box, but as a media hub, it's better equiped than the 360. The fact that it has browser support with YouTube, better DivX and mouse and keyboard support for RTS' and MMOs, it really is a computer for the living room. I'm aware that downloading and installing software is a pain, but if the owner doesn't own a 360 they wouldn't know the difference.

Last year Sony thought it was their year but Microsoft had a secret weapon with the NXE, a price cut and they did well in second place to Nintendo. This year I think the tides are changing for second place. I know Sony has had a huge loss this past fiscal year. If they can lower the system price just a tad, get a really good marketing push for their product throughout the year instead of just during the holiday, I really don't know what Microsoft can offer that's different enough for me to shy away from the possibility of multi-console ownership.

For anyone that reads Joystiq on a regular basis, you'll have just read via this article that when Halo 3: ODST ships this holiday season it will include all of the previous Halo 3 DLC maps, including the yet to be released Mythic Map Pack as well as 3 bonus maps, all at a reduced price. Where does this leave early DLC adopters and those willing to buy the collecters edition of Halo Wars when it ships as it includes early access to the Mythic Map Pack?

It certainly leaves me scratching my head. Sure we get all the Halo 3 DLC plus a new campaign in the Halo universe from a different perspective, I still fail to see the bargain. Say I've already spent $20 on the previous maps while ODST retails for $40. The way I see it I'm still paying full retail price for the game as I already have most of the DLC. It's almost criminal the way I've skewed the information in my head but I can't help but feel I'll be ripped off to a certain degree if I choose to purchase ODST when it ships. 

With this information reported on so early, why should Bungie even release the Mythic Map Pack at all until ODST ships if it's included?

Some days I get confused by this industry I love so much.

There was a time when the Canadian dollar was close to par with that of the U.S. greenback. This was great for those of us that are gamers in a small populous of just over 33 Million because it meant we'd have competitive pricing. A game in the States for $59 would cost the same here which was great because when the new generation of consoles hit the market they were $69. This got even more expensive given our 13% tax - I live in Ontario.

Unfortunately with the economic times the prices are back up to the $69 mark and I'm beginning to wonder how long I can justify supporting developers given that price point. I know it's arguable that it's only and extra $10 but with taxes it becomes just under $79 dollars for a game that one may or may not like depending if you enjoyed the demo or if you're taking a risk given a genres sequel reputation. 

This becomes a real shame as I'm sure my views are echoed by some in my country and in other countries were the prices have to go up to be on par with the current dollar values of the U.S. or Japan so companies can equalize on their profits. Or will they?

Times like this are were companies like Game Stop, EB Games, Blockbuster and GameFly can profit even more on the used and rental market because consumers may not take chances on a retail purchase. This in turn hurts developers and publishers on returns causing the potential of more people getting laid-off. Catch 22, viscious circle? Who gets blamed?

This is where I see the emphasis on DLC to expand the life of a game. In my opinion it's ideal if you've already invested your money and time and want to delve into those worlds further. However the content has to be justified as well. Map packs add a good amount of enjoyment for as long as you're playing online. Single player add-ons get tricky and costume packs are only for those wanting a little more customization. There's going to be a lot of trial and error on what consumers deem a worthwhile purchase.