Microsoft and Game publishers will get a cut of Xbox One used game sales

Posted by Tiberius Jonez
email at tiberiusjonez@gmail.com
Twitter: TiberiusJonez@GameJonez


I speculated a while back that this coming generation of consoles would be the last, and that the way games will be sold in the future will eliminate retailers like Gamestop, who rely on the fat profit margins they reap on used game sales, virtually overnight. The first step in that direction was confirmed today when it was revealed that Microsoft and game publishers will get a cut of all Xbox One used game sales.

 According to MCV, Xbox One used game sales will be permitted but retailers who choose to sell them will need to use Microsoft’s Azure-based cloud system to do so. This will ensure that Microsoft and game publishers get a percentage of the used game sale rather than having the entire sale go to retailers like GameStop, as is now the case.

Here's how it will work. Consumers will bring their used game(s) into a retailer and trade it in for cash or credit just like they do now. The retailer will then enter it into their Azure system and wipe the game from the seller’s Xbox One Live profile. Retailers will be permitted to set used game prices, within reason, with the eventual sale divided three ways based on a (presently unknown) split percentage determined by Microsoft.

Rumors are flying that the percentage to retailers may be as low as 10%, which could effectively kill used game sales due to the fact that retailers would have very little incentive to go through all the work required to sell used games for such a small profit margin.

It has long been suspected that, at some point, developers and publishers might disallow used game sales altogether, but Microsoft is the first to come up with what appears to be a viable alternative to an outright ban. The move is a very shrewd one as it is sure to draw more developers to Microsoft's new console. Surely, some of those developers will become Microsoft exclusives. I suspect it won't be long before Sony and  Nintendo follow suit.

Microsoft's Major Nelson posted a response to rumors on his website essentially revealing nothing other than "Microsoft supports the sale of used games" and that more information will be coming soon. Not incidentally, Gamestop's stock dropped 5% in early reaction to the news.

Xbox One – One machine to change your living room forever?

Posted by Tiberius Jonez
email @ tiberiusjonez@gmail.com
Twitter: TiberiusJonez@GameJonez

Still a box, but a pretty one.

Depending on your point of view, Microsoft's big reveal yesterday meant different things to different people. Early opinions and impressions from around the net seem to range from “Holy Cow, that thing is bad-a$$!!”, to “Big deal!?” to “Where were the games?” and an occasional “Nintendo is dead either way!”. Regardless of your overall opinion of the presentation though, there is no denying, parts of it were pretty darn impressive while other parts were a bit underwhelming. Oh, and while they didn't reveal pricing or an exact release date beyond "later this year", they did show an actual final-design console and controller! Wink, wink.

On Sunday, prior to the big show, I speculated on what to expect from the big reveal and, as is par for the course, I was right about a couple things, and wrong on a couple others.

The name: Virtually everyone, including myself, seemed to think the name was surely going to be Xbox Infinity, but in what I considered to be somewhat of a surprising turn, Microsoft chose to go with the name Xbox One; the stated implication being that their new box is a one-stop-shop for all things games, TV and entertainment.

I found this interesting because prior to the Xbox 360 being released, several game journalists at the time suggested that, even though the console would be only the second offered by Microsoft, the company might find themselves at a competitive disadvantage if they named their pending console without alluding to the number "3" in the name, simply because Sony would surely be following them with their own third-generation console which everyone assumed (correctly) would be named the PS3. Surely, it was suggested, if MS named their console the Xbox2 instead of something akin to the eventual actual name, Xbox 360, the uninitiated (specifically parents purchasing for their kids) might mistakenly assume the MS machine were inferior to the competition simply because the name suggested being a generation behind.

While reflecting on the name Xbox One, it occurred to me the name suggests a couple things; first, that Team Xbox is now self-assured enough in their ability to compete with, and differentiate themselves from, Sony, that they are comfortable allowing their newest offering to be judged solely on its own merits, name be damned. Secondly, they are going ahead with their assertion that the name should be suggestive of the console's feature set, rather than what it may or may not suggest console-generation wise. Judging by the roar of applause from the audience in attendance, the console's name and physical appearance, which were revealed simultaneously, were both a hit.

Regarding the look of the console... I thought the Xbox One's physical design was simple, elegant and functional. However, I was more pleased by the 40 plus improvements they've reportedly made to the Xbox One controller, most notable of which are, 15% quicker responsiveness overall, and triggers that feature programmable levels of feedback. Whether this simply refers to force feedback, or, as many have assumed, something much deeper, such as different levels of resistance (say, for different gas and brake pedals of different cars) was not exactly spelled out. Point being, if they've managed to make significant improvements to what many already consider to be the most functional and comfortable controller on the market, then kudos to them!

Always on required or not: Confirming my expectation, the Xbox One does not require an always-on internet connect to function. However, you certainly reap the machine's greatest rewards by being connected. So, was this point a moot one from the outset? Certainly not. If Microsoft had “forced” consumers to have an always-on internet connection to function, the backlash would likely have been swift and severe, especially in the U.S., where consumers simply don't like being told what they can or can't or should or shouldn't do.

I thought MS demonstrated a keen understanding of the marketplace; by not requiring always-on internet they appeal to the “games only” crowd, while making it clear to those looking for a much more robust experience that if you are always online, then this thing has the potential to truly revolutionize the way you interact with all of your entertainment experiences.

A quick note about the new Kinect-centric Xbox One interface: what was most impressive to me and, judging by the applause, those in attendance, was just how intuitive and responsive it is in action. When Xbox Design Exec, Don Mattrick, in real time and using only his voice, switched between different functions of the Xbox One, going from playing the new Forza, to live TV, to a movie, to music, then to Internet Explorer and back to the Home page, the transitions were seamless and virtually instantaneous. This part of the demonstration made it clear that the Xbox One does indeed have some serious horse power under the hood. It was very slick and impressive.

The final two points I speculated about are so intertwined that it makes more sense to address them in tandem, rather than separately. Entertainment vs Games and Differentiating the Xbox One from the PS4: If you go back and look at much of the pre-reveal speculation around the net, the single biggest question for most people seemed to revolve around whether or not MS would take an approach focused on games and gamers or one focused more on overall entertainment possibilities. Additionally, I speculated that if it were true, as rumored, that MS intended to include a cable box in the Xbox One's hardware, depending on what features it made possible, that it alone could be a real differentiator for MS and possibly an instant game changer with the potential to tilt the field in their favor vs Sony, at least early on.

As it turns out, MS is indeed taking a decidedly entertainment focused approach with the Xbox One. That's not in any way to say it will be inferior to the PS4 as a gaming console, as some have suggested, we simply don't have enough information at this point to make a determination either way. It didn't help that at the reveal, very little actual game play footage was shown, clearly disappointing the crowd in attendance.

When they did show footage, which was clearly not in-game, but more likely replay footage, of the four new Xbox One sports offerings from Electronic Arts (Microsoft exclusives, by the way), the crowd's underwhelmed reaction was evidenced by a palpable moment of silence which hung in the air for a good three seconds. Game-play footage shown from a few other games, including the new Forza and even Activision's Call of Duty: Ghosts, was so brief that, again, it was nearly impossible to come to any conclusions regarding the Xbox One's gaming-only potential.

The one piece of game-centric news that did produce an instant and genuine show of appreciation from the crowd (and myself) was the fact that, of the 15 Microsoft-exclusive titles scheduled to be released within the first year of the Xbox One's launch, 8 of them are brand-new IP's. From the research I was able to do, no other console in any previous generation has debuted so many new, exclusive IP's in it's first year. The fact that the new next-generation Forza would be available at launch was also met with clear approval.

Converse to the underwhelming reaction to what little was shown of the console's games, when it came to overall entertainment, the functionality of the new Kinect-centric Xbox One interface combined with many new functions and features, including a new exclusive partnership with the NFL and real-time integration of fantasy league stats from all the major sports during live TV broadcasts, while providing just a glimpse of this new technology's potential, were impressive and well received.

So, what does all this mean in the early battle for market supremacy between Microsoft and Sony? Is it all just a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing? It's too early to answer that question. According to Team Xbox, we'll have a much better idea in just under three weeks when at E3, much more will be revealed about the Xbox One, specifically, a lot more exciting game-play footage and game related news and information.

Assuming Sony is prepared to show more of the PS4's features and functionality at E3, as well as an actual console, everyone should be in a much better position to start forming some concrete impressions and opinions of both console's relative positioning prior to their respective launches later this Fall.

For now, I would say the only clear winner is E3. With a bit of fan-fatigue setting in recently for the industry's annual blowout, anticipation of what Microsoft and Sony will show there now has gamers around the world once again pumped up for what could be one helluva show, and showdown.

So, what did you think of Microsoft's big reveal? Comment below and let us know. As always, thanks for visiting GameJonez and Game On!!

 

Microsoft Reveal Week Is Here - what to expect

Posted by Tiberius Jonez
email tiberiusjonez@gmail.com
Twitter: TiberiusJonez@GameJonez

Microsoft is set to reveal their follow up to the Xbox360 this coming Tuesday,  and among other topics, there are a ton of rumors going around about the name, what the console will or won't do, and whether MS's focus is going to be primarily on games and gamers, or a more rounded "center of entertainment" approach.

It's always fun to speculate about these things, so without further ado, let the speculating begin!

The Name: It seems to be a foregone conclusion that the console is going to be named the Xbox Infinity. Not only is the source that leaked the name credible, but the name makes perfect sense given MS's past focus on offering as many different quality features and options as possible to their consumers. NextBox is too bland and Xbox720 too predictable.  Have a different name in mind? Comment below.

Games vs Entertainment: Since they burst onto the console scene in 2001, Microsoft has been quietly, and at times, not so quietly, focused on a much broader and future-thinking goal than simply creating a good gaming console. While the Xbox360 is a quality gaming machine - especially since they went to the "slim" design, Microsoft has added so many other features aimed at social media, connectivity, music, TV and Movies (Netflix), and on and on Ad Nauseum, one can barely keep track of them all.

Their end-game has always been to eventually offer a set-top-box that is a one-stop-shop for all your gaming AND entertainment needs. With the new generation of micro-processors, they finally have the raw horse power to do it, and do it well. The only question in my mind is, with a Gaming/Entertainment approach, will they be forced into any kind of compromise that could result in a gaming console significantly less powerful than the PS4 or will they be able to successfully tow both lines?

I expect the new Xbox to be at least as powerful as the PS4. I never underestimate Bill Gates and Company. Microsoft has proven over and over again that they can raise the bar, innovate, and compete with anyone in this industry. They have basically dethroned Sony as the Console Superpower during this generation and now both companies find themselves in a virtual dead heat moving into the next generation... likely the last console generation.

Always on connectivity required to play games or not? I'll be brief on this one...no way! While the fact is the vast majority of gamers, especially Xbox gamers are online, I still don't believe Microsoft will gamble with their hard-won market share by forcing consumers to have a broadband internet connection in order to play games. There is simply too much possible downside to justify such a move.

Differentiating the next Xbox from the PS4: I believe Microsoft has one card up their sleeve that could be a real game changer. If the rumors of an integrated cable box/DVR in the next Xbox are true, that single hardware difference alone opens up so many possibilities in gaming and entertainment, it could singlehandedly tilt the field in Microsoft's favor. If true, I think Sony would almost be forced to either change the design of the PS4 to include similar hardware prior to release, or have a mid-generation hardware change that integrates it.

There are lots of other topics we could cover, so if you have additional insight, thoughts, predictions for Microsoft's big reveal this week, comment below! Otherwise, comeback Tuesday evening for my thoughts on the event.

Xbox Infinity logo is fake, the name is not

Posted by Tiberius Jonez
email at tiberiusjonez@gmail.com

GameJonez has learned that the logo pictured below, and featured in a story I posted yesterday is a fake.

The Xbox Infinity logo is fake, the name is not.

Reddit originally posted the image in an article revealing the name Xbox Infinity. This is the second fake "leaked" image of a supposed new Xbox logo. While the image may be fake, the name Xbox Infinity appears to be real.

According to International Business Times: Sources related to development of the new Xbox have confirmed to IBTimes UK that the console, which is scheduled to be launched on 21 May, will be called Infinity.

I consider "launched" to be the wrong term; "revealed" would be a more accurate description of Microsoft's May 21 event. With any luck, all will truly be revealed then.

The console is expected to be released in November with two different prices available. Standard pricing will be $500, with a $300 version available with a two year commitment to Xbox Live Gold at $15 per month. The second option essentially ends up equaling $660.

I have to say, if this pricing structure is true, it's an ingenious move by Microsoft for three reasons. First of all, it almost surely undercuts whatever price Sony will announce for the PS4. Secondly, I suspect for an extra $160 over two years, the vast majority of consumers will gladly make the commitment to Xbox Live, something they're likely to subscribe to anyway, in order to save $200 now. Thirdly, that's $200 more in Microsoft's pockets. After all, where do you think that $200 is gonna go? Duhhhh!!, $200 represents three games and an accessory. Those guys in Redmond ain't no dummies.

$500 Xbox Infinity is $300 with 2 Year Xbox Live Contract

Posted by Tiberius Jonez

email at tiberiusjonez@gmail.com

This logo is fake

According to rumors on several sites around the net, (I'm not linking to them as they are unconfirmed) the next console from Microsoft, reportedly named "Xbox Infinity", is expected to be released in November with two different prices available. Standard pricing will be $500, with a $300 version available with a two year commitment to Xbox Live Gold at $15 per month. The second option essentially ends up equaling $660.

I have to say, if this pricing structure is true, it's an absolutely ingenious move by Microsoft for three reasons. First of all, it almost surely undercuts whatever price Sony will announce for the PS4. Secondly, I suspect for an extra $160 (significantly less if you already planned to join Xbox Live Gold) over two years, the vast majority of consumers will gladly make the commitment to Xbox Live Gold, something they're likely to subscribe to anyway, in order to save $200 now. Thirdly, that's $200 more in Microsoft's pockets. After all, where do you think that $200 is gonna go? Duhhhh!!, $200 represents three games and an accessory. Those guys in Redmond ain't no dummies.

Do you think this rumor is fact or fiction? My vote is fact. It sounds exactly like something Microsoft would do.

So, what do you think about this? Comment below!!

Simple math says Microsoft's next console is named Xbox Infinity?

Gamespot is reporting that the Nextbox will be named "Xbox Infinity". It's hard to argue when this visual shows the Xbox name next to a mathematical representation of infinity.

Yes, that figure eight is the mathematical equivalent to infinity. Normally, I might call GameSpot out for early conjecture, but, all things considered, I'm inclined to think they got it right this time. And I have to say...

I like the name. Infinity obviously suggests an infinite number of possibilities. The question now is, can Microsoft live up to such a name and the lofty expectations that come with it.

What do you think?

Comment below!!

As always, thanks for visiting GameJonez. Game On!!

NO MORE CONSOLES AFTER THE PS4 AND XBOX720. Believe it!!

Posted by Tiberius Jonez
email tiberiusjonez@gmail.com

The following excerpt was taken from the final paragraph of a story I wrote in November 2007:

'My belief is that by 2010, Microsoft and Sony will own a roughly equal 35% share of the gaming market, with the Wii holding a solid 30% market share. My reasoning is pretty simple; different management philosophies will determine the outcome for everyone. The real showdown comes in 2011-2012 when the next "Next Generation" begins.'

 -Tiberius Jonez, Editor of GameJonez, Nov 5, 2007 

FIRST OF ALL, I LOVE GAMES!

It's no secret that I love gaming. It is my favorite source of entertainment. When done right, gaming has the potential to offer up an amalgam of experiences unlike any medium to come before it. What other form of art or entertainment can you think of that has the potential to deliver an "audience" all the feelings of having been entertained, inspired, moved, tested - not just mentally and physically, but morally and ethically and still leave room for the simple reward or pain of victory or defeat?

Videogames are also an incredibly flexible medium. These complex experiences can run their course in the span of a few minutes or be sustained over a period of days, weeks or even months, allowing for infinite creative possibilities. What other medium can do all this? I challenge you to name one, because I can't.

I think there are two things that fundamentally distinguish videogames from other forms of entertainment. For one, videogames are possibly the only medium of entertainment where the audience is an active participant in the entertaining without ever having complete control over the outcome. And secondly, no other medium stimulates more senses. At any given moment, a good game may be simultaneously stimulating your eyes, ears, sense of touch, cognitive and problem solving abilities, emotional core and even your psyche. With all that going on, I
don't know how many neurons must be firing simultaneously in your brain, but I imagine a cat scan would look like a Kansas thunderstorm. To be sure, games today can be incredibly engrossing, but the medium does have it's fair share of problems, and they begin with...

MONEY, MONEY, MONEY, MUHHH-NEEE!!

It's true, the experiences videogames can give us are far richer in many ways than anything else out there. Unfortunately, I see several forces conspiring together to create an environment where we, as gamers, may have to be far richer to continue playing them.

I believe the gaming industry is at a crossroads of economics and content. To understand what I'm talking about, you have to first understand just how expensive it is to make games these days and how these guys make any money at all. So, let's take a look at a current example.

Activision's highly anticipated game "Destiny" from Halo developer Bungie, will be released on current and next generation consoles and will feature continuing development that will span ten years. To say the least, Destiny is an extremely ambitious project. The estimated budget for the initial release is slated at $140 Million, and that's assuming no significant delays or problems along the way.  According to the contract between Activision and Bungie, Destiny will be released first on the Xbox 360/720, and then the PS3/4 and, because of it's colossal budget,  it will need to sell approximately 5 million copies just to break even. By comparison, within 24 hours of being released, Activision's last Call of Duty: Modern Warfare game sold approximately 6.5 Million copies in the U.S. and U.K. alone. So, while I suppose it's technically possible Destiny could sell that many copies, you have to bear in mind that COD is a very well established franchise with a huge, loyal and rabid fan-base, and while Bungie does have an established track record of success, that was with the Halo franchise as an Xbox exclusive; Destiny is a brand new intellectual property (IP) being released on both platforms with no established track record on which to base expectations.

What do all those numbers really mean? They mean that at some point developers have to pass the cost of development onto consumers to maintain their bottom lines and deliver profits to their investors. Games now cost $60 and the pricing structure of the next generation of games has yet to be revealed. With development teams for next gen games numbering as many as 500 people, some analysts are predicting prices as high as $100 for a single game! If history is any indication, I seriously doubt prices will skyrocket that dramatically, but $70 seems like a reasonable expectation. Here's why...

SOME PERSPECTIVE

Historically, videogames have actually been quite inflation-resistant when compared to other forms of entertainment, especially movies. In 1981 I paid $2.00 to see a matinee showing of Raiders of the Lost Ark the weekend it opened. That same week I used my hard-earned snow-shoveling cash to buy Atari Football (screenshot below - yeah, that was actually supposed to represent football - and we were happy to have it!!) for the Atari 2600...which, as you can plainly see is one of the most simplistic games you could ever imagine by today's standards, and I paid $50 for it back then. Thirty years later a movie ticket in my area costs between $12 to $24 depending on whether you want to see a standard flick, a 3-d show or an IMAX film. So, let's just take the standard flick; an increase from $2.00 to $12.00 is an increase of 600%. Video games going from $50 to $60 in the same period represents an increase of only 20%...an absolute bargain by comparison...even more so when you compare today's Madden NFL to that Atari atrocity. I think I'm more than getting my extra ten bucks worth of product. If you had to pay $60 to see a movie, I suspect you'd skip the opening of the next big summer blockbuster. So, how have game prices stayed relatively flat for so long?

Atari Football - $50 in 1981
VS
Madden NFL 2013 - $60 in 2013

In the early 80's video games were exploding! They were new, exciting and represented the cutting edge of technology, but in many cases, the games were being churned out by "teams" of one or two people in a day or two for a few hundred dollars. So, as you can imagine, Atari and other developers had ridiculously HUGE profit margins built into that $50 price point, and people were happy to pay it. Nowadays, developers are lucky if they make $2 or $3 per game after all their costs are factored in, and game retailers typically pay $55 for a new game that they sell for $60. Their real profits come from used game sales. Game developers also don't have the luxury of the additional revenue streams afforded movie studios, like DVD sales, cable and public T.V. royalties, On Demand access fees and more.

And so we come closer to the point of this whole story...what all this means to console makers, specifically Sony and Microsoft, and why I believe this is the last generation of consoles we'll ever see released. To understand where we're going you have to first understand where we are and what these two mammoth companies are trying to accomplish.

WHERE DO THE PLAYERS STAND TODAY?

In 2012, Microsoft reported earnings down $1.1 Billion from the same period a year earlier, but I wouldn't feel too sorry for them, they still reported a net profit of roughly $6.4 Billion, and with an interesting footnote; the Xbox division reported $98 Million spent for research and development in the final fiscal quarter alone, a clear indication that they've been seriously ramping up R&D efforts for the Xbox720. As creators of Windows, the most popular computer operating system in the world, Microsoft could literally afford to view their Xbox division as a hobby if they wished. They could pull up stakes today, leave the gaming space entirely and hardly feel it; but don't worry if you're an Xbox fan, Microsoft isn't going anywhere. Their plan, spelled out by Bill Gate's with the release of the original Xbox, was then and remains today to gradually transition the Xbox hardware from a gaming-only console to a unified "set-top box" that would eventually allow consumers to control everything from the lights and thermostats in their homes, to their use of the internet and all other audio/visual entertainment with one device, using only their voice as a controller; and Forbes agrees with me. Solid evidence that their plan is working came recently when Xbox live reported that 2012 marked the first year that the majority of people connecting to Xbox Live were doing so to take advantage of services other than online gaming.

Sony entered the current generation of consoles as the undisputed industry leader. It was estimated during the last generation of consoles that Sony's Playstation 2 controlled an overwhelming 70% of the global console market. However, due to a series of strategic missteps with the PS3 and perhaps by underestimating their competition, as I predicted in 2007, their lead has all but vanished and, depending on whose numbers you trust, they now find themselves in a virtual deadlock with Microsoft with each company now controlling roughly 35 to 40% of the market with a floundering Nintendo claiming the rest with the Wii and the thus-far disappointing Wii-U.

In stark contrast to Microsoft's $6.4 Billion profit of a year ago, Sony reported a staggering LOSS of $4.8 Billion in the Sony Computer Entertainment division alone...that's a swing of more than $10 Billion between the two companies!! Sony's electronics division hasn't been helping much by barely breaking even for the past 5 years. Sony as a whole reported a net profit of $404 Million.

Bloomberg recently reported Kazuo Harai, Sony's new Chairman, wants to generate 70 percent of revenue and 85 percent of operating profit in Sony's electronics from games, digital media, and mobile devices by March 2015. To say Sony has a lot riding on the PS4's success would be a massive understatement. While they are down-playing it publicly, internally, Sony execs know this might be their last best chance to make SCE profitable once again. The very survival of Sony Computer Entertainment could be on the line and the changes they've made in their approach so far with the PS4's release vs the PS3's release reflect a keen awareness of their precarious situation. From firing Ken Kutaragi, to announcing their console first, to embracing a more developer friendly x86 architecture with the new hardware, Sony is attempting to correct past mistakes in hopes of, at the very least, maintaining a level playing field between themselves and Microsoft.

FINDING AN IDENTITY

The biggest problem for Sony in the current generation is the fact that even though they entered the race a full year after Microsoft, they really did nothing to differentiate the PS3 from the Xbox360. As Forbes points out in their article, aside from a very few exclusive titles for both consoles, and the obvious differences between Xbox Live and PSN, for most consumers, both consoles occupied the exact same space and it was really just "a choice between blue pokemon and red pokemon."

But now I see a clear line being drawn in the sand between Microsoft and Sony that could actually end up benefiting everyone.

Sony made it clear with their "reveal" of the PS4 in February that they are getting back to focusing on games, games, games and eschewing many of the other entertainment features offered by the PS3 and Xbox 360. At the same time, recent rumors out of Redmond, Washington suggest that Microsoft has every intention of offering a powerful gaming system while continuing to advance their agenda of an all-purpose entertainment one-stop-shop of services that could eventually end the need for cable.

I see this as a possible win-win. If Sony is successful in reestablishing themselves as the best games maker on the planet, then they have a legitimate opportunity to regain their supremacy in that space.

If Microsoft were to successfully introduce a more inexpensive console that further expands their variety of entertainment offerings, while perfecting voice control and still being a good, if slightly inferior gaming machine to the PS4, they could fill a niche wholly separate from Sony. The end result could be a situation where consumers are adequately motivated to own both systems in order to have access to all the combined features on offer.

The danger for Sony lies in Microsoft's advantage of knowing what the PS4 is going to offer processor specs-wise and possibly being able to simply one-up them. If they can do that then the PS4 would be in trouble indeed. And if the new Xbox's gaming specs are only slightly inferior to the PS4 but they offer a bunch of other features that consumers want, that could also bode poorly for Sony as consumers will often sacrifice a small difference in graphics if their is a perceived value-gain with everything else included in the package.

THE END IS NEAR...NO MORE CONSOLES AND NO MORE GAMESTOP

And finally, regardless of what happens in the battle to dominate this upcoming generation, I believe this will be the last generation of true consoles for several reasons, and I'm not alone. One of the "experts" that agrees with me is well-known Wedbush Securities Industry Analyst Michael Pachter, who also  predicted in 2009 that there would be no more consoles after the Xbox360 and PS3. I didn't agree with that assessment at the time. I had already predicted in 2007 we would have a PS4 and Xbox 720 and that by the time they rolled out, Microsoft and Sony would be virtually tied in market share; and apparently I was clairvoyant that day, because I was pretty much spot on with one exception; I thought the next gen would arrive a year sooner, in 2012.

Now it's 2013 and the environment surrounding the industry has significantly changed, thanks in large part to the one thing that is always toughest to predict; the astounding rate of technological advancement. With the continuing improvement of streaming technology, cloud processing and Nvidia's GPU processor technology, six years from now it will literally be possible that the only hardware Sony and Microsoft will need to offer consumers is a controller(s) that will plug directly into your TV. The "consoles" will exist completely in the cloud.

One immediate result of this transition will be the almost-overnight destruction of Gamestop and all other brick and mortar videogame retailers, and trust me, nothing else would make Sony and Microsoft happier. Whether they admit it publicly or not, stopping the sale of used games and ending piracy stand at the very top of both company's long-term agendas. Streaming everything solves both of those problems instantly while greatly reducing publishing costs.

No more consoles means no need to manufacture hardware for every consumer. Factor in the elimination of all the costs associated with production, servicing, warranties, packaging, shipping, energy and real estate costs as well as all the salaries and benefits of the employees required to run all those operations; in the final analysis, I just can't see how both companies can avoid coming to any other conclusion...producing more consoles simply no longer makes good business sense.

So, enjoy your physical discs while you can because I don't think you will see them anymore after this generation.

I would love to hear your comments below.

As always, thanks for visiting GameJonez. Game on!!

$5 million lawsuit filed against Microsoft over Halo 3, Xbox 360 problems

Halo 3 is designed from the ground up to be compatible with the Xbox 360, right? A federal lawsuit filed last week against Microsoft and the game's developer, Bungie, claims it is not. The suit alleges that Halo 3 "routinely, consistently, and systematically 'froze,' 'crashed,' or 'locked up.'" The suit then claims that these issues "disrupted game play". Yes, freezing, crashing and locking up would disrupt game play. The plaintiff, Randy Nunez, is seeking class-action status along with $5 million in damages plus costs and attorneys' fees. In a country where you can win a huge amount of money for spilling coffee on yourself, I suppose frivolous lawsuits like this are inevitable.

While the famous McDonald's coffee lawsuit is often unjustly cited as an example of what is wrong with our civil justice system, the facts in that case actually warranted the jury's decision. In this lawsuit against Microsoft and Bungie, the plaintiff is claiming that interruption of his game play warrants a $5 million check. Even if you could prove that Microsoft and Bungie intentionally released Halo 3 with knowledge of hardware/software compatibility issues -- which is a tough sell considering Microsoft's widely publicized $1 BILLION investment in correcting the Xbox 360's hardware issues, including extending the console's warranty length to three years -- how can you claim that interrupted gaming is worth $5 million?

I love my games, and yes, it is frustrating when serious performance issues ruin a gaming experience, but no GAMING experience is worthy of $5 million in compensation. Hellooo, McFly!! Perhaps Mr. Nunez should consider using his time to acquire gainful employment rather than wasting our court system's precious time with this bunk.

UT3 for Xbox 360 only "on hold"

There was some confusion going around the nets yesterday regarding the Xbox 360 version of Epic's Unreal Tournament 3. A couple of well known game sites had reported that Epic's Mark Rein had said work had not yet begun on the Xbox 360 version, which was not correct. What he meant was, the game was put on hold (apparently a while ago) so that they could focus on getting the PS3 and PC versions out the door. Joystiq got verification from Rein himself.

Joystiq quotes Rein as saying, "What I probably should have said was 'start working on it again.' We had the game up and running on all three platforms up until last spring. In fact Official Xbox Magazine came out and played the game for a great cover story they did on it. We stopped working on the 360 version so we could concentrate our efforts on shipping the various PC and PS3 versions. Once we get those out of the way, and take some time to enjoy the holidays with our friends and families, we'll start working on the 360 version again. There's still a decent bit of work to do. For example we have simple LAN play but no Xbox Live implementation yet and we need to work with Microsoft to figure out how to accommodate mods on their platform."

You Xbox 360 owners can stop worrying, not that you were all that worried with Mass Effect dropping next week. PS3 and PC gamers need some positive mojo right about now. Especially PC gamers, I swear, except for Crysis and World in Conflict, it seems like there hasn't been a great PC game since Half Life 2.

Don't forget to get Carcassonne for free while you can!

Don't forget to hop on your Xbox 360 today and grab yourself a free game. In celebration of Xbox Live's fifth birthday, Microsoft is stuffing your Christmas stocking early, but only for a limited time, with the board game turned turn-based strategy game, Carcassonne. I downloaded it a few hours ago and took it for a spin and it's quite fun.

Anytime you can get something for free, it's at least worth a look, and in this case, it's actually worth more than a look. A game of Carcassonne is played on a gridded board using 72 tiles as the playing pieces. These tiles have a certain symmetry to them, so you can create matching connections between them, with the objective being to construct self-contained cities, roads, farms and more. With the tiles looking like squares snipped out of Google Earth, they need to be rotated then placed on the board in such a way as to form the largest properties possible.

The tiles’ symmetry means that roads will line up, though a roadway has to end cleanly, such as an intersection. Each player has a certain number of “followers” that can be placed on contiguous land areas, roads and fields as a way to “claim” it for yourself. When an element of geography is completed—such as a city having a complete, unbroken wall around it; or a monastery piece being fully circled by eight other tiles—the followers indicate who is the owner, and therefore who’ll get the points.

The game is easy to learn and surprisingly full of strategy. The graphics are charming and up to par with most of the better XBLA offerings.

You have until midnight tomorrow night to get Carcassonne for free, so what are you waiting for? Go!

Read a full review of Carcassonne here.

Xbox 360 outsold PS3 in Japan Last Week

The end is nigh! Repent! Duck and cover! Pucker up and kiss your...ok, you get it. If the numbers from gamesindustry.biz are correct, the apocalypse is surely at hand. According to their report, the Xbox 360 outsold the PS3 in Japan last week, sparked by Namco Bandai's Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation, which debuted at #2 behind Super Mario Galaxy, which sold nearly as many copies as the rest of the top ten combined.

The PS3 sold 17,434 units compared to Xbox 360's 17,673. Yes, it is a tiny difference of only 200 units, but considering Microsoft's well documented difficulties breaking into the Japanese market, it is huge news for them. The dramatic increase in sales for the 360 represents a nearly five-fold upswing from the previous week when only 3,718 units were sold. What will happen with Call of Duty 4 releasing this week? Oh yeah, they will probably ignore it.

Xbox 360 Family Timer

Xbox 360 is great, and I spend a lot of time on mine. I also spend a lot of time on my other consoles too, so don't get riled up! But for kids, too much time spent gaming can be a bad thing, especially if it interferes with school work, or developing those all important social skills, like actually holding a conversation.

Microsoft recognizes the potential for game addiction and will offer a "family timer" feature beginning sometime in December, just in time for those all-important Holiday sales. Set a daily or weekly time limit for your kids Xbox 360 play, attach a password to it, and viola!, you're machine will automatically shut down when the time limit is reached. We assume you will be prompted to save your game before the console unceremoniously goes dark, although there is no confirmation of this yet.

Microsoft has been trying to soften their image as it relates to kids and gaming for some time, but I suspect this particular feature came straight down from daddy Bill Gates himself.

Why Xbox 360 is Crushing the Playstation 3

Halloween is over and the Holiday 2007 sales push is officially on for video game manufacturers. This is a pivotal time for Sony and Microsoft. While Microsoft is looking to expand their current lead in Next Generation hardware sales with games like Mass Effect and Halo 3, Sony is just trying to get back in the race with price drops and some big games of their own. It's certainly a huge change from just a few years ago when Playstation 2 was king and the original Xbox was struggling to gain a foothold in the consciousness of gamers. How is Xbox 360 crushing the PS3? More importantly, what will the future hold for these two behemoths?

November 2005, I remember it well. Excitement was high for the release of the Xbox 360. Microsoft had announced their new console before anyone else even had a "Next Gen" offering beyond the drawing board stages. Sony was no where near releasing the PS3 and in fact they had not announced final specs for it; only a wish list of "features", many of which never materialized. The early announcement of the 360's release which would pretty much guarantee Microsoft at least a six month jump on their competitors was seen by many as risky in light of the fast moving pace of technological advancement while others viewed it as necessary considering Sony's domination in the previous hardware generation when it was estimated that they controlled 70% of the overall console market.

When the Xbox 360 hit retail, the reviews were mostly favorable for the console, but it was a mixed bag as far as the software was concerned. If examined in an unbiased manner, the 360 software lineup was undoubtedly the strongest of any new hardware launch. With 18 titles available on day one including Call of Duty 2, Project Gotham Racing 3, Condemned, and Kameo: Elements of Power all of which received very strong reviews at the time of their release, the Xbox 360 had something to offer everyone right from the get go. The downside was that many third party games, most notably the entire sports lineup from EA, were all seen as lacking in features and depth.

Shortly after the launch, and straight through to the present day, the 360 has been haunted by reports of hardware failures which have come to be known as the dreaded red ring of death. However, with a continuous stream of quality software titles including consecutive Game of the Year winners in Call of Duty 2 and Oblivion or Gears of War (depending which game sites you follow), the 360 was able to maintain strong sales through it's hardware troubles by giving gamers what they truly crave...good games and customer service. At the same time, with the introduction of achievements and gamer scores, Xbox Live evolved to unprecedented levels of user friendliness and online gaming goodness, giving Microsoft yet another arrow in their suddenly formidable console quiver.

November 2006 saw the release of the Playstation 3. This was six months later than Sony had originally announced. Sony reported that the delay was the result of problems getting the finalized specs on the PS3's Blu-Ray HDMI output. Others pointed to Sony's difficulty in manufacturing the Blu-Ray player itself as a primary reason for the delay. Either way, instead of Sony facing a six month head start for Microsoft, they were looking at a being a full year behind.

When the console was released, many critics found it to be big and ugly, which was ironic as those were criticisms levied against the original Xbox at it's launch. However, in terms of engineering, most people agreed that the PS3 was well-made and almost seemed to emanate an aura of power. Unfortunately for Sony, how much of this power was real and not just imagined was difficult to say due to a lack of compelling software for the console at the time of it's release. Of the three Next Gen consoles, the PS3's launch lineup was the lowest rated of the group. The only PS3 launch title to receive any kind of widespread critical acclaim was Resistance: Fall of Man. The rest of the PS3 launch lineup were either weak third party efforts or straight ports of Xbox 360 games that, for the most part, failed to match their 360 counterparts, both in terms of graphics or performance. Considering Sony was perceived to have had an advantage in terms of processing power combined with an extra six months to a year of development time on these games, their failure to exceed the Xbox 360's technical performance was seen as a major failure for Sony. While Sony talked up the supposed technical superiority of the PS3 pre-launch, several developers have come out and refuted those statements, such as here and here. In fact, according to these game developers, the Xbox 360 is the more powerful gaming platform.

Since that time, things haven't gone much better for Sony and it's PS3. Originally released in 20GB and 60GB iterations, the high price points of $499 and $599 respectively made it a hard sell for most gamers, despite Sony's assurances that the inclusion of Blu-Ray playback made it a bargain. Launch shipments sold out everywhere mainly due to a severe shortage of units on store shelves. Many were listed on Ebay with one listing selling for an incredible $10,000. While Sony continued to spin and spin these events as signs of huge public demand for the console, the truth was that three months after the launch when PS3's were readily available in stores, demand had slowed so much that millions of units sat unsold across North America. Eventually, Sony discontinued the 20GB version completely and introduced a larger 80GB model in reaction to Microsoft's 120GB Xbox 360 Elite.

Even with all the mistakes they have made, Sony is not dead, and either is the Playstation 3. It may have been slow in coming, but Sony has responded to some of the criticism of their approach so far (or at least the lack of sales) this generation by offering the new 40GB version of the PS3 at a more palatable $399 price point and lowering the price of the 80GB model to $499. While the 40GB version sacrifices all PS2 backwards compatibility and lacks the different memory card slots of it's bigger brother, it still offers consumers a Blu-Ray player with the ability to play all PS3 games at a price more in line with their primary competition, the Xbox 360. Perhaps with some highly anticipated games like Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Army of Two, Assassin's Creed, and Haze coming between now and January '08, maybe Sony can gather some momentum moving into the all important Spring and Summer of 2008 when the console's really big guns, GTA4, Killzone 2 and Metal Gear Solid 4 are expected to be released.

While this story is focused on the PS3 and Xbox 360, we can't completely ignore the Nintendo Wii. While I don't consider the Wii to be a direct competitor of either MS or Sony consoles, there is no doubting that it will play a role in the sales of all consoles over the next two to five years.

When I look at the events of the past two years, I see Microsoft as a visionary future thinker, Sony as reluctantly reacting to changing market conditions, and Nintendo as thinking outside the box while ignoring some important trends.

Clearly Microsoft's future goals go far beyond just the world of video games. Their reasons for getting into the console business from the outset included a future vision of set-top boxes delivering all kinds of digital content to your living room. The Xbox 360 is starting to realize some of those goals by offering games, movies and television shows through Xbox Live in addition to excellent online gaming. The deepest pockets in the world allowed them to lose over a billion dollars without blinking in their efforts to establish the Xbox brand last generation. While they have had their share of struggles, they have undeniably gained a solid foothold in the console market far surpassing anything they ever achieved with the original Xbox.

Having dominated the last generation of console hardware, Sony set the precedent of offering a new media format (DVD) with their new console (PS2) and are following that strategy again by packing in Blu-Ray with the PS3. Their goals center around making Blu-Ray the dominant High Definition DVD format for years to come. However, the stakes are much higher for Sony this time around. With their company as a whole bleeding money over the past couple years, the success or failure of this strategy has far reaching ramifications across their entire electronics division. Unfortunately, the sometimes ham-handed execution of their plan has managed to alienate a large portion of their user base, placing the wisdom of their plan in serious doubt. Now they are faced with the challenge of reacting to change instead of being in the confident position of clear leader. How and if they can turn the tide remains to be seen, but I wouldn't write them off just yet.

Founded over a century ago, Nintendo is the oldest company of the three, and while that stability gives them the confidence to explore new ground such as the motion sensing control of the Wii, it also seems to have made them blind to the potential impact of some newer technology trends like online gaming and cutting edge processor power. Their long-held stubbornness in regards to third party game development is a major problem that will continue to plague them; you need more than two big games a year to maintain hardware sales over the long term. There is also the "Pet Rock" factor to consider. The Wii's controls may seem revolutionary now, but by the time this generation ends, will it be utterly "played out", relegating it to short-lived fad or will Nintendo find another way to sell the Wii II? Recent software sales already suggest the fad factor is a very real worry for Nintendo.

My belief is that by 2010, Microsoft and Sony will own a roughly equal 35% share of the gaming market, with the Wii holding a solid 30% market share. My reasoning is pretty simple; different management philosophies will determine the outcome for everyone. The real showdown comes in 2011-2012 when the next "Next Generation" begins.

40GB PS3 Uses 65nm Cell - cooler, quieter and cheaper to play

German site Computer Base reveals that consumers giving up backward compatibility on their 40GB PS3s are actually getting something in return. The 40GB systems are following the Xbox360's lead by utilizing the new 65nm version of the Cell processor, lowering the power usage from 200 watts to 135 and further reducing the heat and noise the system gives off.

With both the Xbox 360 and PS3 now having the cheaper, more efficient 65nm CPUs integrated into their designs, the race to 45nm is officially on. What's next? I have a dream of a day when all little children can play life-sized holographic games projected from the tips of their pens.

Gamestop No Longer offering 360 Replacement Plans

I almost never recommend Product Replacement Plans for electronics products. They are one of the biggest rip-offs most retailers try to sell you. In the case of the Xbox360 however, statistics don't lie. Until the 360 gets it's new 65nm processor architecture the chances are very good that you will experience the dreaded red ring of death at least once.

It is ironic then that Gamestop has decided to stop offering a PRP for the one product for which I would wholeheartedly recommend one, the Xbox 360. Apparently the Gamestop brainwizards finally figured out that instead of this product replacement plan fleecing their customers, their customers were fleecing them with this deal. Essentially, the one time they were offering a PRP that actually served it's purpose, it has bitten them in the @ss.

So, in case you ever thought your favorite retailer offered you a PRP out of the goodness of their heart, now you know the cold hard truth.

By the way, if you already purchased a PRP for the 360, don't worry, you are covered until it expires.

Can the 40GB PS3 @ $400 Win the Console War for Sony?

I love gaming. That's not always a popular thing to say when most of your friends are over 35. I play games almost everyday. I read about games and write about them too. I even consider myself somewhat of an expert on the subject. I think 30 years of gaming experience qualifies me as an expert.

So, when one of my best friends (who has no interest in the Wii) recently asked me which Next Gen console he should buy, an Xbox 360 or a Playstation 3, I didn't hesitate.

"Xbox 360 all the way!", I told him. I gave him all the reasons why too, and they all make perfect sense. There are more games for the 360 than any other new console, and some of the games coming out over the next two months appear to be among the best in the history of gaming. You have something for every kind of gaming fan...first person shooters, driving games, adventure games, role playing games, and all the major sports. Online play is great and now with the new three year warranty, you don't have to worry about the possibility of the dreaded red ring of death.

"What about online?", he asked."You have to pay for Xbox Live and Sony is free, right?" Yes, Sony's online service is free but it isn't nearly as gamer friendly as Xbox Live. Live is only $49.99 for 13 months which comes down to a little more than $4 a month. Let's face it, if you're considering paying $400-$600 for a console, you probably aren't worried about $4 a month, especially if that $4 gets you the best online gaming in the world.

"But what about Blu-Ray?", he asked. "I've heard Blu-Ray is great and the games are better."

Of course, I had to correct him here. "Well actually, so far all the games that have been released on both consoles have looked and played better on the 360. If you specifically want a Blu-Ray Player, then yes, you should definitely consider buying a PS3," I explained. "But if you are talking about the better gaming machine, then that's the 360. There just aren't enough decent games for the PS3 to justify paying five or six hundred bucks for it. Maybe in 2009 the PS3 will be worth the money. By that time, there should be a lot more good games for it and it will cost significantly less. Plus, by that time, we may have an idea whether HD DVD or Blu Ray is going to be the accepted High Definition DVD format"

Then last week, Sony threw a big wrench in all my reasoning by confirming the November release of a 40 Gigabyte PS3 priced at $399.99. Yes, they were forced to compromise by completely dropping PS2 backwards compatibility to reach that price, but it is a move that, in my mind, they needed to make if they were serious about getting back into this console race before it is too late.

I'm not saying I'm about to jump off the Xbox 360 bandwagon...far from it. I still believe the 360 is the best pure gaming console on the market now and for at least the next six months. But I did feel the need to call my friend and ask him just how important Blu-Ray was to him down the road? If you think Blu Ray is something you're ready to invest in, then it is difficult to ignore the PS3 at $400. But if it's just about the games, I still say go with the 360.

I myself already owned a PS3 and sold it after two months because I just got sick of looking at the thing and having nothing good to play on it except Resistance:Fall of Man, which was good but not great. After a while, 95% of my gaming time was spent on the 360. So, yeah, I sold the PS3 and used the money to finance a new gaming PC, and I've never regretted the decision.

Now that this 40GB version of the PS3 is becoming available AND there are some truly good looking games like Uncharted:Drake's Fortune and MGS4 on the near horizon I am ready to get back on board and set up another PS3 alongside my 360. I already have the HD-DVD player for the 360, and my wife and I both love it. But it is aggravating that we can't get all the movies we want in High Def on HD DVD. ALL High Def players should be combo players if you ask me, but since those are still priced at $1000, having one of them in our living room is only a dream at this point.

The biggest coup for Sony over the past six months was probably getting Disney/Pixar to sign exclusively with BluRay. We have a young son and love Pixar movies ourselves, so that is a factor when making movie buying decisions.

All in all, I don't know if this 40GB PS3 at $400 can help Sony win the console war this generation because there are still many unanswered questions surrounding the future of their online gaming service and a general lack of good game titles in comparison to the 360. But if Sony can manage to get a stream of quality titles to PS3 owners and at least offer an online gaming service that can compete with Xbox Live, then this new price point certainly has the potential to get them back in the race in a big way!

Halo 3 Leads Microsoft Games Division to Profitable Quarter

Fresh off the news that their primary competitor Sony is reporting a $841 Million loss this past quarter, Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices division, which houses all things Xbox, has turned a profit. In the most recent quarter that ended September 30, the division had revenue of $1.929 billion and operating income of $165 million -- a remarkable turnaround over the same period last year, when they reported revenue of $1.011 billion and an operating loss of $142 million.

It's seems a certain record-shattering Spartan soldier had something to do with it.Microsoft Corporation itself had an operating income of $5.92 billion and revenue of $13.76 billion. That's a 27% revenue increase over the same time last year, reportedly its biggest increase since 1999.

Meanwhile the $841 Million loss by Sony's game division was more than double the $381 Million loss reported during the same period a year ago.

Netflix on your Xbox 360 or PS3?

In a conference call with analysts on Monday, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings introduced the idea of enabling the company's service through "internet connected game consoles." Currently Netflix only offers movie rentals by mail or via PC streaming, but it's been no secret that Netflix has been seeking to connect with a company that has an internet enabled box attached to a television in the home.

Considering Hastings joined the board of Microsoft back in March, the Xbox 360 would seem to be the console of choice for such a proposal. Xbox Live already has the established infrastructure set up, so it shouldn't be too difficult to implement Netflix service on it. I have personally watched movies via Netflix's streaming technology in full HD and I was very impressed by the experience. I didn't notice any lag and the picture and sound quality were excellent. If they could bring this same quality experience to my gaming console, I'd be all for it. Netflix changed the way we rent movies (and games for that fact), could it do the same for the way people view game consoles?

Halo 3 - Job Well Done!

For those of you in a hurry I'm not going to waste a lot of words giving you my opinions of Halo 3. No, instead, I am going to sum up the best way I know. Simply put, Halo 3 has surpassed almost every high expectation I had for it before release.

Graphically, it is a stunning game, especially in terms of set pieces. Many of the areas in which you find yourself cause you to take pause, in slack- jawed awe. Your first experience in Mombasa is a glorious gaming moment to be sure. Other times, you'll be joyfully going along laying waste to countless enemies, when you'll unintentionally look up into the sky only to be caught up in the splendor of an aerial battle taking place many miles above the planet's surface.

Halo 3 does a great job of offering a tailored experience as well. If you are a shooter noob who has never touched a controller, you can still beat the game on the "Easy" difficulty level. And if you are a well-worn veteran of countless fragfests you will still find a mighty challenge in the "Legendary" difficulty level.

My only complaints about Halo 3 are pretty nitpicky things. Some of the level design (I'm looking at you Cortana) is a little confusing and some of the faces of your human allies aren't exactly up to par with the rest of game's graphics. But really, other than that, there is not a whole lot to complain about with Halo 3.

Multiplayer is an absolute blast. 4 Player cooperative play through the campaign is fantastic fun. Matchmaking is everything gamers have come to expect from the Halo franchise...in other words, it is unparallelled. The new theater options allow for after-the-fact viewing of complete play sessions, repleat with options for fast forwarding, rewinding, viewing from any angle and editing and saving for later sharing with friends via Xbox Live. It truly is a feature that should find it's way to all online multiplayer games.

As a fan of the original Halo who was sorely disappointed with Halo 2, I can tell you that Halo 3 has been a thrilling ride and I am impressed with the job Bungie has done delivering an engrossing story, fabulous settings, excellent gameplay and options galore. If this truly is the end for Master Chief, I don't think he could have wished for a much better send off.

Video Games help heal wounded soldiers

Mike Musgrove of the Washington Post has written an excellent piece about wounded soldiers recovering at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and how they are using Video games to aid in the healing process.

These soldiers are laying their lives on the line to protect freedom, but they are serious about their games too.

Chuck Ziegenfuss, a major in the Army, was wounded in Iraq in 2005 and spent six months as an inpatient at the hospital. For soldiers who have just been hit with life-changing injuries, playing games helps reconnect with entertainment they enjoyed before they arrived at the military hospital, he said. When Ziegenfuss was in Iraq, he'd see guys come back in from a 20-hour mission and immediately pick up game controllers. Playing games again here "gives them back a sense that they're normal," he said.
Ziegenfuss, who has also been a peer counselor to wounded soldiers, said some soldiers with new prosthetic limbs have even retaught themselves how to drive with steering-wheel game controllers.

Army Spec. Juan Alcibar (pictured above) has parked his crutches to the side and tried to lure a friend into playing along with him before he rips into Nirvana's "Heart-Shaped Box" on the guitar game. "Wanna try? Come on, you know you wanna be a rock star!"

This monthly gathering, designed to encourage some of the recovering soldiers at Walter Reed to socialize, is put on by a soldiers' aid group called Cause. Alcibar, who was hit by a sniper's bullet that shattered a femur in Baghdad in March, is a big fan of the event.

"When you're just sitting in your room thinking about what happened, it drives you crazy," he says. "This is something to get your mind off your sorrows. . . . I wish they had it every week."

The rest of the story talks about some other people and groups that donate games and consoles to the hosital. It is a touching example of how games can truly enrich lives and ease suffering.

Next time you think about trading in some game you never play anymore for a less than fair trade-in value at a games store, instead consider donating it. You'll be helping someone else and making yourself feel good at the same time. A win win by any standard.

Read the full story here.