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Nintendo's Wii a hit with the geriatric set?
No, we don't expect the vast majority of elderly folks kickin' it in a retirement home to honestly show any interest in video games (right?), but apparently, the Wii's at least making some minor strides in getting the geriatric set up and active with virtual sports. While we assume those suffering from lingering hip injuries are apt to join the (admittedly quiet) cheerleading section, a group of athletic 70-somethings from Sedgebrook retirement community are "hooked on Wii Sports," with bowling being the unanimous favorite. The response has been so positive that the locale is actually cranking up a 20-person tournament for an undisclosed reward, and while the residents have often commented about how "realistic" the Wiimote was in tossing the ball, the community actually has a fan for folks to dry their hands off before rolling a strike -- which is probably a smart move considering the potentially fatal injuries that could occur from slippage. Still, an isolated incident of fun-lovin' grandparents getting their game on isn't apt to convince us that the next big gaming market is in retirees, and honestly, how many elderly folks rushed out to snag a Wii for the grandchild, and ended up keeping it for themselves?[Via DailyTech, thanks Randall B]
Wii + reitirement home = Wiitirement home
An entire retirement home full of elderly people passing their free time in heated Wii competitions. It may sound like a Nintendo press release, but it's actually a Chicago Tribune article about the Sedgebrook retirement home in Lincolnshire, where Wii Sports Bowling is taking the living community by storm. The game is so popular among the residents that grandparents are teaching their grandkids how to play and a 20 person tournament took place over the weekend. Sure beats watching Matlock reruns all day. Previously: Wii appeals to the elderly
Growing old and bored with video games
Game companies are worried about gamers growing up and growing bored said the Wall Street Journal earlier this week (available only through subscription). A study of "lapsed console gamers" by consulting and research firm Frank N. Magid Associates shows where gamers lose the faith. The first drop occurs as males enter the 18-34 demo, where those playing console games once a week drops from 78 percent (12-17 year-olds) to 42 percent. At 35-44 the playing drops to 24 percent.Obviously, the reason for this is that stupid thing called life getting in the way. It's not that gamers want to stop, it's just that jobs, school, relationships and babies get in the way. 48 percent say they leave because they get too busy and 40 percent say they simply got bored (no further data there, but that's worth looking into). There is also talk about how controllers have gotten too complicated, which Nintendo is currently attempting to tackle through the Wii. We'll have to wait and see how the Wii control concept plays out in the long run. The article loses steam toward the end and saves itself by bringing up the fact that although older gamers may not be on consoles anymore, they probably spend 40+ hours in front of a computer and the "casual games" market isn't hurting from that fact one bit. The whole article is a little silly in its statement of the obvious: As we age, free time dries up. We don't watch as many movies (film industry), we don't go to as many concerts (music industry) and we don't play as many games. But the human race continues to breed and multiply, the next generation will replace us and pick up the consumer slack. We also have an issue with this "problem" being at all true to begin with because the average age of gamers, according to the ESA, continues to go up.
SeaGrand's GENESOUND rips vinyl to CD / MP3
SeaGrand isn't exactly a well-known brand here in the US, but the company known for crafting nifty devices to rip one musical format to another is dropping one in for the retro crowd. Whether you've got 33s or 45s, SeaGrand's forthcoming GENESOUND should make ripping vinyl to MP3 a lesson in simplicity, and if you're stuck back in the days of compact disc, it'll burn to CD for you as well. The mini-system includes a pair of stereo speakers, brushed aluminum face, a hint of vintage styling, headphone out, CD / LP playback, and there's even USB / SD ports to carry your freshly ripped tunes on flash media. As expected, there's no word on how much this useful invention will run you, but folks in Japan can start ripping through that vinyl collection (and reminiscing about the days of DRM-free music) later this month.
Wii Warm Up: Those old folks
We here at the Fanboy highly doubt that any of you have escaped the "Old People" phenomenon, by which Luddites of various ages, locked into their ways, miraculously pick up a Wiimote and slug it out in Wii Bowling. Many are so enthusiastic that they inquire as to the availability (answer: no) and price of this wonderous machine. But, in truth, how many are actually going to purchase one? Many with whom we've spoken have enjoyed the Wii, but still have difficulty fathoming a lifestyle in which the games are played so often as to warrant a 250 dollar purchase. What percent of Wii units sold will eventually go to this demographic, and is it large enough to push Nintendo to first place?
Today's most unhinged game video: Xenon 360 - hinged joint
It's short, simple, to the point, and quite frankly one of the sexiest videos we've seen in a long time. A see-through case for the Xbox 360 (how racy!) and bingo, a hinge get right inside and have at the goods. It seems that everyone wants to turn the 360 into a high school cheerleader, and be able to just ogle it whenever they want to. Where is your sense of decency?Well, have at it you sick fiends. Check out the video after the jump, then be sure to visit the confessional both later in the week.
Wii Sports wins Game of the Year award in Time Magazine
Once again, Wii Sports is the media darling of the mainstream press. Time is as big as they come. But Game of the Year? Many of us may disagree. As hardened, totally awesome gamers, we've come to expect grand adventures, interesting characters, nail-biting action sequences, and wonderfully infuriating logic puzzles. (And if you were wondering, dear readers, our own game of the year award goes to Twilight Princess, naturally.) But totally awesome gamers do not run Time, and thus, we don't think they really care about such nonsense.Still, stepping off our pedestal for a moment, Wii Sports has brought more new and lapsed gamers to the screen than any game since Super Mario Bros. Having fun with friends and family; is this not the point of gaming in general? It's an interesting question, and one akin to comparing Old School with American Beauty. One may have been an inspiring, cinematic masterpiece, but which did you have more fun watching? Which do you guys think deserves the award?[via Joystiq]
NPR chats up older gamers
NPR's Alex Cohen spoke to some older gamers recently on Day to Day and she found out, courtesy of Nintendo's George Harrison, that seniors play games differently than the 18 to 34 year-old demographic. Well, duh. They cut his sound bite short however, because he starts going into his standard boilerplate speech about how games have gotten so complex with multiple joysticks and buttons, but they want to change all that with the Wii, etc etc. Cohen goes on to find out how arthritis keeps a 70 year old woman from playing Guitar Hero, but she manages to kick butt with her grandson in Final Fantasy XII. She has 13(!) grandkids and goes on to say that she thinks playing games keeps the mind active. Gamer grandma kicking your ass, FTW!Here are some interesting facts from the piece: 25% of all gamers are over the age of 50 A third of all Baby Boomers polled want a next-gen system for Christmas That hot buxom blonde you play with in Guild Wars might be older than your mom You can listen to the show here. Of course, if you're over the age of 50 and reading our site, you probably heard this show on NPR already, right after catching Matlock. We keed! We keed! Everyone knows that Murder, She Wrote is far superior.
University of Texas: games might slow aging process [update 1]
The University of Texas (go Longhorns) is designing games and researching their effect on older players, according to Yahoo! News. The University of Virginia (go Cavaliers) questions the Texas goal of maintaining mental and physical agility with games. The image of older gamers flailing around with touch-sensitive gloves and VR helmets is our favorite detail of the $13-million project. The future has never been so retro. Mihai Nadin, the professor who heads the research says, "This is not a marketing opportunity but a social responsibility."But we think it should be a social responsibility and a marketing opportunity. After all, the article makes the obligatory Brain Age reference, citing sales of roughly seven million total copies. Those weren't just given away. Publishers of casual games have already been selling to this older demographic; we don't think it'll take long for other games to reach an older audience.Dr. Nadin followed up with us about this post. He wanted to make sure readers understand that the University of Virginia study wasn't a response to his research with the University of Texas. The Virginia study was unrelated, although its subject of mind-maintenance through aging is relevant, which is why we mentioned it.Dr. Nadin further stressed the social responsibility of finding ways to extend mental and physical abilities -- the cost of assisted living strains individuals and government programs. But he also said that people don't need to choose social responsibility over commerce; they can go together. We were raising the point that any business -- especially franchise-driven videogames -- follows the money. We hope he's right, and publishers find a niche in games-as-therapy.[Update 1: Added last two paragraphs.]
Alex Kidd shows off on Sega Genesis Collection
If you enjoyed Alex Kidd on the Sega Genesis, you're sure to be salivating by now after just watching the above video. Alex Kidd, which was Sega's first answer to Mario, is one of nearly 30 old-school Genesis games making their way onto the PSP in the form of Sega Genesis Collection. The game comes packed with extras like exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes footage and wireless multiplayer modes. What more can a Sega Fanboy ask for? Yeah, I said it.
Researchers develop OLED illuminated surfaces
We've seen transparent OLEDs before, but researchers at the University of Southern California and Princeton University have taken things one step further, developing white-light organic light emitting diodes that can cover just about any surface and act as a light source. The new OLEDs are the result of 13 years of research by Mark Thompson of USC and Stephen Forrest of Princeton, who previously invented single-color OLEDs but, until now, have been unable to overcome the fast burnout time of the white-light types. The trick, as it turned out, was to use a fluorescent dye for the blue component of the OLED instead of a phosphorescence one, which consumed too much energy. Don't start redesigning your place to accomodate glowing surfaces just yet though, they still need to come up with a way of making a plastic backing that'll cover a large area and not allow any humidity to pass through, which degrades the OLED.[Via Inhabitat]
PS3 pad loses DualShock name and vibration but picks up Wii-esque motion detection and wireless connectivity
In a shocking turn of events, the PS3 controller has gone from banamerang to wireless DualShock 3, except without the DualShock name and vibration.If you take a good look at the back of the new control pad (see the close-up above), you'll notice that the DualShock 2 brand name imprinted on the old controller has now been supplanted by a row of LED lights to show which input has been set, either wirelessly or via the wired USB recharge port. Sony's now the only name in-line for PS3 controllers either on the pad or in the press releases (see "the new PS3 controller").
Apple.com Back in Time
I found this version of Apple.com from April 29, 1998 quite appropriate. Go to the Internet Archive, type Apple.com, and sift through some rather funny and emotional moments.I especially like the toasted Pentium II, the $55 Million Q2 Profit in the ticker, and the Beige G3. If you dig a bit further into the site from 1998, you will see the Powerbook G3 started at $5,699. Ouch.[via Appleology]
