Archive | January, 2010
January 27, 2010 

My Thoughts on the iPad

I think Apple has made a very wise choice by devleoping the iPad and announcing it today. I agree with Steve Jobs that the netbook is dead. Actually, I never thought it was alive from the start. Netbooks also seemed like crippled devices, and I couldn’t understand or justify paying a lump sum of money for hardware that was only to be used for browsing the Internet. I would rather much prefer an iPhone or an Android phone, or even a regular laptop, over a netbook.

Apple really seems to be pushing the all-in-one be-all end-all solution for general consumers’ computing needs with the iPad. I seriously think that just the introduction of the iPad is going to revolutionize future devices even more so. Being closed isn’t so bad in Apple’s case. They have been continuously creating revolutions for years and years. The iPad actually reminds me of the various futuristic devices seen in movies. They are devices that very small and compartmentalized but yet seem to do so much.

I like that it’s a larger iTouch. The iTouch, while a nifty device, never felt more than a novelty to me considering that it’s nothing but a stripped-down iPhone and beefed-up iPod on a teeny-tiny screen. Apple has certainly created a very nice platform with their store of applications, and it is certainly nice to not have to worry about managing the nitty-gritty underpinnings of the operating system (me, being a crazy computer user).

I would love to lug around a slim-profile computer around especially to my living room where I can do a quick web browsing during live TV without having to switch inputs to my living room PC (whose only purpose if for gaming anyway) or walking the 20 feet back to my other computer (despite how small my apartment is, it’s very annoying to do and I spend enough time in my room as it is).

However, my lifestyle also does not necessarily beg the need for an iPad much like I don’t need a smartphone either. There is rarely a time that I am not near a computer throughout the day. Being a full-time programmer requires me to use a computer. I hardly travel anywhere besides commuting to work everyday by car. It would be a stupid idea and a death wish to use a computer while driving. I am doing some kind of physical activity nearly everyday or taking care of household tasks that computers can’t do. The free time I do have isn’t much, and usually by that time I am ready to fall asleep.

I realize why I can’t get excited about the iPad. Apple’s technologies don’t provide me with any advantage over what I can already do now on my own systems. I still believe that watching movies and listening to music and shrunken devices is a very cheapening experience. Apple still isn’t at the point where they can compete with the video game industry despite that developers have created casual, mobile games. That is the one area that I think where they can at least decently compete with Nintendo.

I think Apple has hit a very good price point for it. The cost of Apple’s technologies has always been a huge turnoff for me because I don’t feel they offer a justifiable value for what they offer at their price. $500 as a base price plus the data pricing plans ($30 for unlimited data) is incredibly attractive. Bu I honestly thought Apple was going to develop a better non-app-based system at least running Mac OS X and having a decent solid state drive. I don’t discredit them though; I really like think they are onto something in the world of computers.

January 9, 2010 

My Favorite Game of All Time

My sister gave me The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks for Christmas, and I have been fastidiously trying to complete it since the holiday. The whole concept of the game — conducting a train and restoring train tracks connected to ancient spirits — is rather odd, but Nintendo has made the adventure entertaining. The game is enjoyable, but its experience is rather detaching.

My personal favorite incarnation of the Zelda series, and also my choice for best video game of all time, is The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. The game is over a decade old now and was released on hardware that is considerably dated by today’s standards. No Zelda game comes close to its standard save for its sequel, Majora’s Mask, which is a close contender.

The game’s plot and pacing is one of mystery and excitement that really makes the player personally vested in the adventure. The introduction to the game is dark and mysterious that suddenly forces the player to immediately take the role of Link, the Hero of Time. Little background is revealed about Link and the game, but it sets up a responsibility that is almost overwhelming that is slowly discovered as the game progresses. Once the player progresses enough, the plot becomes more comfortable and familiar while retaining the sense of new adventure throughout the game.

The other strong point of the game is the time-travelling concept, one of the most common science fiction plot devices, that really shapes the entire adventure. The player initially controls Link as a child, and then is suddenly forced into adulthood (through a seven-year slumber of time travel magic) to save Hyrule. The evil that has spread over seven years changes locations and their inhabitants, and the player has to time-travel back and forth to restore the balance to the world.

Each step that the player takes and every completed task brings about a sense of accomplishment. The game creates an emotional evoking environment, a “big picture” painting of the universe, that becomes the player’s personal world. Actions that the player does in the past affects situations in the future, and it’s done in a very compartmentalized manner. The game’s presentation treads lightly on the cinematic front and holds back from overdoing it so that it doesn’t detract from a full interactive gaming experience.

Few games come close to the emotional experience of Ocarina of Time but often remove the player from full immersion by providing much more backstory that creates something akin to an interactive movie instead. What I think makes it the greatest game above all is that it is the archetype of good versus evil without the complex grey area of morality that other games have. The game becomes an emotional investment right from the start drawing you in until the ending scene that leaves you with a breath of relief and wonderment of everything that you had done before.