Category Archives: Opinion
Who Won This Console Generation?
With the WiiU on store shelves, the PS4 sure to be on the way soon, and Microsoft’s plans for a new console almost certainly due for release at E3 – if not sooner – attention will once again turn to that age-old, overly simplistic sentence that sums up years of effort by the big console makers.
“So, who won the console war this generation?”
It has always been a very loaded question based on your definition of ‘winning’, but I think this is one of those generations where – no matter your allegiances – it would be hard to declare a winner.
The Wii
Nintendo’s console makes a strong case – it crushed the 360 and PS3 in terms of actual console sales, raked in huge profits for Nintendo thanks to its expensive and numerous accessories, low development costs, and the fact that units were sold at a profit. It also introduced more families and senior citizens to video games than any other console in history other than the PC. Finally, it must be said that Nintendo largely steered clear of controversy beyond the decision to go outside their traditional audience with the console itself. They didn’t have the hardware problems, poor marketing, or other ancillary issues which plagued Microsoft and Sony.
However, the Wii’s underpowered hardware, lack of AAA titles and multiplayer support, and branding as a ‘family console’ left many to declare it a console for casual gamers and not the stereotypical gamer audience, which then begged the question if the Wii ‘counted’ in the console wars. Adding fuel to this argument was the poor sales numbers for non-Nintendo titles (note you have to get to #15 on the list before you get a non-Nintendo affiliated title), which hurt third-party support for the console; many other publishers couldn’t make money on Nintendo’s platform. Coupled together, the quiet end to the Wii era has undoubtedly harmed sales for the Wii U, which Nintendo used to try to reach out to the hardcore audience they ‘betrayed’, and caused some publishers like EA to drop support for it (a console which hasn’t even been out a year) in their new graphics engines. Declining sales for the Wii and the rough launch has hurt the company’s bottom line.
The PS3
Many thought this generation would belong to Sony. They were expecting Sony could build on, and carry forward, the success they had with the PS2. They exited the last generation with a huge install base, a number of AAA titles that could be exploited for sequels, and they created Blu-ray discs that would make their games fit all on one disc! Their hardware advantage, their experience in making consoles, the added value of the Blu-ray player…it looked like a sure thing.
Between the high price point, the abysmal PR, and a launch lineup largely devoid of the characters that made them successful, Sony stumbled out of the gate and really had trouble righting the ship once they got going. The Playstation division has led the way to the bottom as the company hemorrhages money, and it is largely the result of a few too many gambles which didn’t pay off. They launched a lot of new intellectual properties and unfortunately many didn’t perform. The starting price point was too high, especially against an established competitor which had been out for a year. While Playstation Network is beginning to catch up to Xbox Live in terms of quality and value, it makes you wonder why they spent that much time on Playstation Home when that wasn’t what gamers were asking for. And finally, they followed the motion control bandwagon by releasing their own Wiimote-inspired controller instead of foreseeing that the bubble was bursting and letting the trend pass them by.
The Xbox 360
Microsoft’s effort to be the first ones out of the gate paid off in the short-term, with games that largely appealed to their ‘bro gamer’ demographic and a mix of new intellectual properties and classics like Halo 3. They revamped Xbox Live to offer a bit more for the subscription fee, though paying for it at all remains a contentious issue especially with the advertisements on your dashboard. They stepped back from publishing many games and largely relied on third-party support and timed exclusives to carry their console forward. Between the robust social features, retention projects like gamerscore, and a healthy stream of games, Microsoft was largely the online multiplayer console of choice, and owners typically had the largest game library of home console owners this generation.
Of course, you can’t bring up the 360 without mentioning the crippling Red Ring of Death or ‘RROD’ (it has its own Wikipedia page!) which ruined many consoles because of poor design. While Microsoft started offered better warranty coverage in later years, it served as a reminder to me (and I hope many others) that ‘early adopters always get screwed’. Microsoft was also criticized by gamers for having expensive proprietary accessories, a confusing ‘points’ currency system for online purchases, and a limited range of games since most of the ones they published were, again, of the ‘bro gamer’ variety. That all changed when Kinect arrived on scene. Despite a high price point, low number of quality games, and reports about it not working without excessive lighting, the device sold well…now gamers are waiting to see if it will be incorporated into the next Xbox, or if it was just another expensive add-on that will be replaced.
I think you could make the argument consumers won the console war this time. Some companies very clearly got the message that consumers are king and, if you don’t give them what they want, you are limiting your own success. That’s why projects like the Ouya were able to come together. It’s why Sony went back to its stable of successful PS2 intellectual properties years into this cycle. And it is why we had a longer console cycle with a number of great games – no matter which platform you owned.
Of course, consumers also lost studios and publishing companies like THQ and Lucasarts, though that was less their will and more poor management and Disney’s fault respectively. You can also argue, with the rumours around next generation consoles not supporting used games, that publishers won and its to the detriment of those looking to make a living off the game industry and gamers themselves.
What are your thoughts? Who won? Who lost? Are you a PC gamer who thinks the whole lot of it was entirely pointless? Let us know in the comments!
PG
Using the Second Screen Effectively
David Hall called the second screen the trend to watch for 2012. Since then, there has been a lot of talk over how organizations can use ‘the second screen’ – your smart phone, your tablet, or your laptop – to enhance your enjoyment of an event, and I get the feeling there are still many organizations wondering how exactly they go about doing it. Recently, I participated in Huffington Post Canada’s #TrudeauWalkInTheme ‘poll’ of sorts ahead of the Liberal convention, as just one example of how second screen content can be created even if group organizing the event had their own stream going. Campaigns can be limited to an established Twitter hashtags, or they can be more robust with guidelines set in place ahead of time and participation of key event participants. Ultimately, it can be used to shine a spotlight on what you’re doing…but someone else could also use it to capture your audience by beating you on content.
Obviously having your audience hijacked by a rival feed is a missed opportunity for your organization, so you need the tips and tricks to maximize the effectiveness of your content. So, how can you use the second screen to enhance the experience of your audience?
Schedule
Use a post scheduler to ensure a steady flow of content through the event. Make sure you include a ‘starter’ message to let people know about the ground rules, like which hashtag to use. Also schedule a thank you message. Try to remember to include content for people not able to attend as well, such as a link to a live video stream or to more info about the event. However, you don’t want to solely rely on scheduled content…
React
If it is all scheduled posts, you can’t adapt to things on the go and it may seem like you aren’t actually at the event! Make it a point to work photos and other live content from the show floor into your social media stream.
Disney has been a big adopter of the second screen, offering interactive content, galleries, access notes from the filmmakers, and even more content for the kids such as puzzles!
Bake it in
Your second screen effort has to be a part of the event, not just a neat extra. Using Twitter walls, having your emcees contribute, and even just ensuring there is signage at your event and mentions in your reach out ahead of the event (invitations, reminders, etc.) is a must.
Respect the event
There is nothing worse than trying to speak before a crowd of heads looking into laps. Make sure you are reinforcing the importance of tuning in to the event and participating beyond just tweeting. Save your best content for the ‘commercial breaks’ and you may even want to encourage people to put away the phone for a bit – in a positive way – before key moments. I know some sports teams in particular are leery about tweeting too much during games so fans don’t miss the best moments and forget to cheer! And obviously movie and TV content has to be mindful of keeping the audience engaged so they don’t miss plot points, while also respecting their advertisers. So be mindful of what you are asking your audience to look at instead!
Offer something new
If I am at the event and I’m turning to social media, it is because I expect to get more content that way. That means it is your job to get the behind- the-scenes photos, to encourage the speakers to participate in the live tweeting, to give me facts I am not getting elsewhere, and otherwise prove to me that my decision to pop open my phone was a good one (no pressure!).
Be first, be foremost
To go back to my Huffington Post example from the beginning of the article, if you don’t create a second stream of content for your event someone else will. And even if you do, someone else might do it better. The important thing is to try, and use any advantages you have to promote your stream to your advantage. This could include the previously mentioned invites and signage, though a Twitter wall, etc.
What great examples of second screen content have you seen? And how will you use the second screen to your advantage at your next event?
-PG
Talknowledgy Podcast #106: Donald Trump, Microsoft, Instagram, and Shoppers Drug Mart All Earn a #Fail
A lot of #fail being handed out this week! Before we get to that, we start with the social media reaction to President Obama’s win in Seg 1, and also touch on Hurricane Sandy and Halo 4.
In our second segment, NBC allows you to buy stuff you see in television shows using a smart phone app – Creepy or awesome? We also take a look at the decidedly not awesome comments made by the CEO of Instagram this week.
In our third segment, Obama is so happy about his win he’s singing about it. It’s our “YouTube Hero of the Week!”
And finally, in seg four we dish out the pain with fails going to Donald Trump, Microsoft, and Shopper’s Drug Mart. Tune in and find out why!
If you liked the show, feel free to subscribe to this blog or our RSS feed to make sure you’re always up-to-date with Talknowledgy.
Talknowledgy Podcast #105: Hurricane Sandy, Movember, Uncle Drew, Star Wars goes Disney, social gaming, and more
Plenty to chat about in the world of news this week. We kick off the show by discussing the social media and tech implications of Hurricane Sandy, the most popular Halloween candy on social media, and the launch of Movember.
In our “Creepy of Awesome?!” section we look at a new Facebook rumor – Users may be able to place classified ads to display to their friends on the social media giant. The main difference between this new feature, and the existing marketplace function, is you now have to pay to have your ad seen.
Our “YouTube Hero” this week is Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving. He reprises his role as Uncle Drew in a Pepsi Max commercial posted to YouTube this past Tuesday. The first video he did, posted May 2012, received 16 million views. Adding to the interest, Irving himself, wrote and directed both commercials.
Uncle Drew: Episode 2
And we couldn’t go a full show without touching on the US Presidential Election, so here’s our Bonus YouTube Hero this week, courtesy of The Simpsons:
Our “Hashtag Fail of the Week” is near and dear to Phil’s heart. Disney announces a new Star Wars trilogy. What do you think super-nerd Phil has to say about that? Tune in to find out!
If you liked the show, feel free to subscribe to this blog or our RSS feed to make sure you’re always up-to-date with Talknowledgy.
New Star Wars on the way, Courtesy of Disney
I wasn’t going to write a post this week.
Heck, this is only tangentially related to tech or social media.
But gosh darnit.
Is Star Wars better off with the house that Mickey built?
I believe George Lucas when he says he wants to see Star Wars persevere into another generation – whether for money reasons or because there’s never been (and probably never will be) another series quite like it – but is a new movie trilogy the way to do it? Is there no other way to introduce young people to Star Wars?
My fiancée is a big Looney Tunes fan, and her favourite character is Tweety. I’ve been looking for Tweety stuff for birthdays, Christmas, and what have you and it’s no easy task – likely because the show has been off the air for a while. I want to give them my money for Tweety merchandise but I effectively can’t do it! I shudder to think of a similar scenario where I won’t be able to find Star Wars stuff for my potential son or grandson. Sure, maybe some new series will come along that will be more relevant to his generation and I’ll be buying him action figures from that universe, but I firmly believe Star Wars is a unique universe. Maybe I’m biased because I grew up as the original trilogy came to VHS and as the new trilogy was just beginning production, but I’m not sure there will be another sci-fi movie series like it. Some compare Mass Effect to Star Wars, but Mass Effect has been and will always be a video game series first and foremost and, with an M rating, it is targeting a slightly older age group than Star Wars. I don’t know if it’s possible to have that same childhood nostalgia feelings about it as a series. So between the need for new merchandise and the gap in the market for a sci-fi series for tweens and teens, I can understand why Disney would look to launch a new trilogy…even if it is probably doomed to the same mockery that Lucas says forced him to step away from making Star Wars movies.
Why am I nay saying the new trilogy without knowing anything about it? It’s not just because it’s a cash grab or because I expect it will suck. My worry is that this series won’t be made for the Star Wars fan. I think this series is going to be for ‘new fans’, just like movies one to three, and it certainly will not be a love letter to guys like me or guys my dad’s age who saw the originals debut in theatres. The pent-up demand they refer to is not the demand of fans, who probably don’t want another movie since the story is complete as it is (and doesn’t need more editing, might I add Mr. Lucas). The pent-up demand is the demand for a new sci-fi series to inspire young minds and hock merchandise. Rather than start fresh, Disney aims to exploit the Star Wars brand and capture the imagination of a new group of pre-teens and teens by returning to a galaxy far, far away. And milking it dry.
If you think the future could sound bleak for Star Wars, I need hardly remind you that Lucasfilm also owns Indiana Jones and, with a more recent sequel that seemed to set up Shia LaBoeuf as the new Indy, that universe could also be headed to a dark place as Disney goes searching for lost treasure.
In the meantime, I eagerly anticipate Spaceballs 2: The Search for More Money as a direct commentary on this whole situation.
Oh and don’t take my gripes as me saying I won’t go to see it.
-PG
How to Podcast
Talknowledgy debuted as a radio show on CKDJ 107.9 in Ottawa in September of 2010. At that time, podcasting was still kind of a new concept to Ted Raymond, my co-host at the time, and I. It was a neat idea to us but we weren’t sure who would listen, how we would get people to listen, where we would post it, and how much time we could devote to that (as we were college students at the time in what is the busiest term of Algonquin College‘s Radio Broadcasting program). Along the way we learned a few things, and I hope this checklist below will give you a starting point if you’d like to create your own podcast someday.
Pick a topic: First things first, what is the topic of your podcast? Is this a topic you’re interested in? Is it a topic that is broad enough that you can find listeners? How will you prove to people you are an expert in this topic?
Find a co-host or co-hosts: You could do a solo show or podcast, but it’s certainly more lively with one or two other people. It also helps if you have others to fall back on in case one of you is unavailable to do one show.
Line up the equipment: Good quality microphones is very important. Great content can be utterly ruined by bad or inconsistent audio quality. Everyone should be using the same microphone, and it should be in a quiet room with a lack of echo. Phone quality is acceptable in small bursts but a co-host should not be permanently on the phone. It gets hard to listen to!
Editing: Having good editing equipment is even more important. Thankfully, it’s pretty easy to get! A copy of Adobe Audition is what you need! ProTools, Audacity, and other software will perform a similar function but in my opinion Audition is the easiest to use and does the job quite adequately – nearly every single Talknowledgy podcast was edited down through Audition! (One or two were edited using a radio news software called ‘Burli’ – not recommended for large-scale editing jobs and not cost efficient if all you need is the editing audio capability).
Length: Determining how long your podcast is important, especially if you want to syndicate this content by turning it into a radio show. If it’s purely for the internet, it can be as long as you want it to be and – in my opinion – it should be as long as it has to be. When Talknowledgy was on CKDJ, CKCU, and CFRA, the show was constrained by the ‘show clock’ – it had to be a certain length and couldn’t be longer or shorter. Now that it’s solely a podcast, we get to talk about every story we have lined up for the week! There are advantages to both models.
Schedule: When will your content go out? It can be easier or harder to get play throughs depending when it is released. We settled on Saturday morning because it was easiest from a recording standpoint and because we had a good number of clicks. By contrast, Friday night did not work for us at all. Your mileage may vary.
Get a podcast host, get a website: This will set you back a few bucks, but both are necessary. Find a podcast host that has a good billing structure based on your needs, looks presentable, gives you an RSS feed, makes it easy to embed audio, and helps spread the word about your podcast effectively. As for a website, WordPress is one avenue if your budget is tight or you aren’t all that web savvy!
Eventually you’ll want to look at things like budget, a content strategy to bring in more traffic to your website, a division of work among your partners, a promotion strategy, and many other things…but if you have the above figured out, you’re ready to start!
Good luck! Post a link to your podcast site in the comments – would love to check them out and chat with you about podcasting!
-PG
