Friday, November 24, 2006

Nintendo Wii vs Playstation 3

With the release of the new Nintendo Wii and the Playstation 3, I figure that I will give my own review of the two systems and then you can make up your own mind on which one is better.

The Nintendo Wii and the Playstation 3 have both come a long way since the last release of their older systems. Newer technology have made them both excellent systems to have. However when I look at the features of the Playstation vs the Nintendo I see that the Nintendo has a lot more to offer in some aspects.

The Nintendo seems to be based on what it is really designed for and that's games. While the new Nintendo Wii has some additional features, the Nintendo is really based at the gamer at heart. Playstation on the other hand seems to have based their new system on technology. The Playstation 3 can do just about anything. It can play Blue-Ray discs, play music CDs, play games, and much more, while the Nintendo can really only play games. Here are some other things that separate the two:

Price - The Playstation 3 has two different models to choose from, just like the XBOX 360 has. The first is a 20 Gig model and has a MSRP of $499.00. The second is a 60 Gig model and has a MSRP of $599.00. The Nintendo Wii only has one version of it's system and the MSRP on it is $249.99. The main difference is affordability between the two. The Playstation's prices are extreamly high. Higher than what most families are willing to pay. Even though the Playstation has tons of technology in them, most people only see that the Playstation 3 as a game system and not one that is used for movies, CDs, etc. In fact, most parents, unless totally familiar with the Playstation itself, don't have much of a clue to what's involved in the Playstation. Commercials on the TV don't help either, because they only show games that can be played on the system and nothing else. When a child asks their parents for one and then states the price tag, one might be leary to even think of buying one at those prices. Nintendo on the other hand has set it's price at a rather affordable price. Nintendo, on the other hand, is all about games which is what most people know Nintendo for anyways. Most people are going to see the price tag of the Wii and find it more affordable, therefore more likely to buy that system over the Playstation 3.

Format - Playstation 3 uses a High Definition format for the games that it plays, therefore in order to get the most out of a Playstation 3, you must play the system on a High Definition TV or else it looks as if you are just playing an old system because the graphics are not going to be real stunning. Now, have you priced an HDTV lately? HDTV's are some of the most expensive TV out on the market today. Even the small 13' HDTV have a starting price at about $750. That would be another downfall to having a Playstation 3. Play it on any other TV and the graphics are just going to look plain. While Nintendo has stepped up it's graphics, it has kept them so that you can see them on any TV out there while still being amazed.

Games - The Nintendo offers more family based games than any other system out there. Nintendo's games, when they are new, start out at around $49.99, but can be lower depending on what game it is. Playstation, much like XBOX, has decided that it will start off it's games at $59.99.

Blue-Ray - While Playstation is the only system that offers the Blue-Ray technology, in order to benefit from the Blue-Ray experience, you must have Blue-Ray discs, Which are currently the most expensive HD discs on the market starting out between, $25 and $30 per movie.

Controls - The Playstation has integrated a wireless remote into it's system that uses a feature that can also be used to control games at the same time. For example, it f your playing a race car game or some type of flying game, you can tilt the controller in a certain direction to make the vehicle go in that direction. The only problem with that is that while the technology is cool, Playstation has really limited use to certain games with that feature such as car games or jet games. Other than that it's really just another wireless remote. Nintendo on the other hand has the same technology, but has been able to integrate the system into every game that it puts out. The Wii controller looks much like a typical TV remote and can be attached with a "nunchuk" that enhances this feature on certain games. The big difference is that with Nintendo is that you actually feel as if you are part of the game. For example if your playing baseball you can hold the remote like a baseball bat and when the pitcher throws the ball you just swing the remote like as if you were hitting a real baseball. Want to go fishing? Cast your line using the remote and reel in your catch using the attachable "nunchuk". Sword fights put you right in the action when you have to swing the remote as if you really had a sword.

Overall, the Nintendo may be well more worth the money than the Playststion. While the Playstation is a great system, without spending a healthy amount of money you may never fully benefit from all the features that it has to offer.

Monday, November 06, 2006

Correction

My last blog said that said that Saddam Hussein had only 30 days to live. True to an extent. I got a comment from Matt and he inquired where I got that info from. His question said that he heard that it had to go to a panel before any sentence was carried out.

I did some research and found out that he was right. My source was AOL News. I went back and re-read the article and it did say that the sentence would go before a 9 man panel that had unlimited time to review the sentence, but if they up help it then Saddam would have 30 days to live.

30 Days And Counting

So Saddam Hussein is found guilty. Great. He's sentenced to die. Perfect. So how long is he given to live? That's right. 30 days. Saddam has 30 days to live. That's it. No more, no less. That's all they give him to say his goodbye's. Not that he really has anybody to say goodbye too. We already killed his kids and his wife doesn't want anything to do with him. Maybe dying will not be such a bad thing for him after all. Hopefully he'll find Christ before he dies. I could only hope and pray.

Here's my question. Why do killers here in America stay on death row for sometimes more than 20 years? Why can't our people that are on death row be put to death within 30 days? I guess some things we'll never know.

Friday, November 03, 2006

A Little Bit Ridiculous

There is a new rule this NBA Season. I'm sure most people who watch the NBA are aware of it. But others may not be so aware. It's the rule that David Stern, the NBA's Commissioner, has passed down to the Officials of the NBA games. That rule is that the Officials are to tolerate very minimal complaining from the players or any type of other behavior that might be unsportsmanlike. If the player acts in a certain way, says something that he shouldn't, complains about a call, or any number of things, the player can be called for a technical foul. Two technical fouls and your out of the game. Officials are taking this very seriously this season to the point that David Stern should say, "Hey look guys, I know what I said, but that's not what I meant."

In the past, a technical foul was handed out if a player got extremely rough, or was verbally abusive to another player, official, or coach. A technical foul was administered if a player displayed unsportsmanlike conduct. With this new "Zero Tolerance" policy, it seems like players are getting technical fouls just as much as a regular foul. Like I said before, it only takes two of these and a player is out of the game unlike 6 for a regular foul. But are the officials going overboard on this new rule?

In 3 days of NBA basketball, there have been 4 ejections due to technical fouls and over 50 technical fouls given. Players have been T'd up for tapping the backboard, throwing headbands, taunting, blocking roughly(if there was such a thing), arguing(minor things like saying, "Come on" when they get a bad call), and many others. Such practices have always been in sports. Now the NBA has decided to try and eliminate such behavior by handing out technical fouls. It's my opinion that this just won't work. It makes the game not any fun for the players. Maybe the officials don't want to hear the arguing, but players taunting each other. Players touching the backboard for good luck. Come on. Oops, better watch my wording before I get a technical.

If there was one wish that I had it's that David Stern would tell his officials that what he said he didn't mean to the extreme that the officials are taking it. I can see the arguing issue with players and officials, but this technical foul giving has got to take a turn off the ridiculous road and turn onto the practical road.

Ocho Cinco

That's the number of Cincinnati Bangles player Chad Johnson. If you don't know what that means, "Ocho Cinco" means 85. 85 is the number that Chad Johnson wears. This season when Cincinnati played Atlanta, Johnson had a Velcro nameplate made that read "Ocho Cinco". Before the game Johnson had Velcroed the nameplate to his own jersey and then went out onto the field. Officials saw that he did not have own nameplate showing on the jersey and made him take it off. NFL Officials are calling the incident a "stunt" and have decided to fine him $5000.

There are several reasons to fine an NFL player. If an NFL player hurts another player intentionally, then he should be fined. If an NFL player curses our an official, then he should be fined. If an NFL player acts unsportsmanlike in any way, shape, or form then he should be fined. The Chad Johnson incident should not be one of them.

First of all, putting "Ocho Cinco" on his jersey did not hurt anyone. Second of all, if Chad Johnson was making anybody look bad it was himself. A simple warning would have been enough. While it may be against the rules to do something like that, many other players have done other incidents where they were only giving a warning and not fined. Chad Johnson was fined simply because he's Chad Johnson. Known for his touchdown celebrations, Chad Johnson was probably a major factor in the NFL cracking down on touchdown celebrations.

The fact is that Chad Johnson is not just good, he's great. He's one of the best in the NFL today and he likes to show it. When he got a touchdown he liked everyone to know who just made that touchdown. Putting "Ocho Cinco" on his jersey is just another way of him singling himself out, and letting people know who he is.

My opinion is that if it didn't hurt anyone and it didn't halt play of the game, then a simple warning would have been fine. An official just looking at that would have know that it was Chad Johnson wearing "Ocho Cinco" given his reputation. They could have given him a warning and been done with it. No fine needed. Come on NFL, stop handing out ridiculous fines and start fining the real problems.