[RETRO] Thanks, Nintendo E-Shop!

Just a quickie from me - how much has the Nintendo E-Shop improved recently! ? However, I have encountered one major problem, illustrated below:

Number one cause of rage quits ever in my life. What's everyone else's Mean Bean? I know you've all got one!

Xbox One Media Remote Available Soon

As of March/April of 2014, Xbox One owners will be able to purchase an official media remote to make interactivity a breeze. Similar to a regular TV remote, the Xbox One equivalent will feature playback functions for Blu-Ray, as well as a OneGuide button, which "provides one-touch, quick access to your favourite TV shows and movies," all through your Xbox guide.

Microsoft

Although users can control their console using the control pads and the Kinest camera, many will be delighted to purchase a specific device that functions as a remote control.

Xbox 360 fans will no doubt recall the media remote available in the previous generation. While it was rather large, clunky and featured a whole host of buttons, sources suggest the Xbox One version will be more compact with fewer buttons to get used to.

Already, places such as Amazon UK have started listing the product, portraying the release date as "April 4" and priced at £19.99. Amazon Italy is also listing the product with the same release date and priced at twenty-three Euros.

Let us know in the comments if you think this will ultimately be a good investment for gamers/movie enthusiasts, or if it will just add another pointless remote control to the vast collection that many people already have in their homes.

Is Growing Old Something Gamers Should Worry About?

Click the link here and watch the video IGN posted last month about what it's like growing up with games and suddenly realising you may be too old for them. It's presented in a comedic and relatable way and ends by inviting viewers to discuss in the comments the moment they felt they were growing perhaps too old for games.

Inevitably every gamer reaches this epoch where brief retrospection and nostalgic memories reveal an existential revelation that gaming is no longer the child-like, carefree experience it once was. I've fallen prey to such thoughts in the past, particularly when I realise that playing video games is often something I do when I should be doing other things.

joystiq.com

Desire pulls me in but guilt makes me log back out again. Every minute spent slaying dragons, running from bad guys and erecting giant forms of compensation is time not spent doing things I know would be more productive. I have work I need to be looking for, projects I could be getting on with and even house chores that are being neglected.

For me, being an older gamer means feeling a small sense of shame for not using my time more productively.

You could argue what it means to be "productive" and get into all sorts of heated debates about the necessity of unwinding by engaging in entertainment. I'm not here to call attention to such details, because I'm not worried about growing into an old gamer. And you shouldn't be either.

Here's why:

Embracing Your Inner Geriatric

Most people who reveal themselves to be old in terms of video game fandom tend to do so by comparing their life today with the life they had ten, fifteen or more years ago. Being a child of previous generations meant playing games like Sonic The Hedgehog, Mario, Zelda and a veritable smorgasbord of other bright and cartoon-y products. This is because in their infancy, video games were either marketed to children or families.

Such games still exist and are readily available in a variety of updated versions of these beloved titles. But the reality of the situation is, the industry has matured and grown in the same way its audience has. As a result, there are more games than in previous generations that cater to a more adult demographic.

The Mario and Sonic titles will always be amongst some of the more popular games because they appeal to children and the grown ups who remember playing previous iterations of them. But for every one of these universal games, there's a Bioshock, or Grand Theft Auto and let's not forget the very mature The Last Of Us.

ign.com

This is proof that gaming isn't something that's exclusively reserved for a younger version of ourselves. Of course children still play them, but that's not the issue here. See, the beauty of being an older gamer means that not only are developers taking our interests into consideration, we also have the power to determine market trends, simply because we have the finances to put money into the industry.

Growing up, your video game collection was dictated by your parents who bought them. Now, as adults, we have control over what we purchase and from any age bracket of our choosing. 

Despite having financial responsibilities, there is literally no one in this world who can stop me from spending every penny I have in my bank account on Steam products. But I don't, because I know there are other things I need to keep that meagre amount of money for.

To me that's what being an older gamer is all about: having the financial freedom to purchase and play games, but being selective of when and how often I do this. Gaming is a big part of my life, but being an adult means slotting it into my life with other things I have going on, not making it my sole defining characteristic.

It's important to be able to distinguish between being older and being too old for something. So let's not be afraid of growing too old for games. Without us, who's going to keep the industry afloat with ad-hoc purchases? Not punk-ass kids, that's for sure!

Tiny Arcade Wristwatch Coming This March

Thinkgeek.com

Are you an avid retro gamer? Don't have enough tech gadgets and titbits in your life to reflect your passion? From March this year, you'll be able to rekindle the days of yore by purchasing an arcade wristwatch from Thinkgeek.com. It's designed to resemble the old-style arcade cabinets many people will recall fondly (particularly for those who grew up in the 80's and early 90's).

Ticking It Old School

The watch features an ornamental joystick and a fire button that activates lights and "pew" sounds when pressed. The face displays space rocks as the hours and minutes hands, while the seconds are shown as a triangular spaceship, giving it a look and feel of the classic game "Asteroids".

Thinkgeek.com

Currently priced at $60, it may be a little pricey for casual gamers/gadget collectors. But it'll certainly be a rare treat for hardcore fans who long for that little nostalgia and have some disposable income they can spare.

How Long Until Sony Goes Under?

Sony

As recently as December 2013, articles have become abundant with the news that Playstation developers, Sony, could become bankrupt within the next two years. Reports indicate the tech giant has a 78% chance of going under by 2016.

Recently more information has emerged which could showcase the beginning of this end. Earlier this month, Sony announced they will be selling their PC (personal computer) unit to combat heavy losses. They are also making plans to cut back more than 5,000 jobs, making the announcement after a net loss of £665 million was forecast for the financial year.

Playstation 4 on the rise, though

Despite the news, figures were recently published that showed sales of the Playstation 4 had doubled that of Microsoft's own new generation console, Xbox One. With the launch of Sony's own console set to be released in its home country of Japan on February 22nd 2014, sales are no doubt expected to rise even further.

Despite this, Sony are facing threats from competing companies and a decrease in PC sales globally. While they are making new plans to focus on smartphone and tablet technology, the sale of its PC division and employee cutbacks are showing signs of the conglomerate's financial troubles.

Help Required

As you can probably tell, I'm trying to get my blog up and running again. This time though, I admit I need help! Looking for perhaps two or three occasional writers to back up myself and new recruit Andy, and I would ADORE some pretty graphics if anyone were able to donate.

Anyway, while you have a good think about it, I'm off to play Dr Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine. Expect it to get sweary!

Things to come!

Alright, so no ACTUAL content today. However, over the next few weeks I shall be posting my opinions on the following:
My disastrous return to retail
Portable speaker comparisons
Xbox One
Smartglass
PS4
Mobile phone vs tablet (specifically, my S4 and my note 8 ;)
Samsung Galaxy Camera
How I convinced my bf to switch to Samsung rather than iPhone
And, er, Zoo Tycoon.

Please note, I am not sponsored by Samsung. However, if any reps would like to get in touch to arrange that, well, feel free ;)

Content soon, I promise!