Does The GDPR Fix Video Games?

SNES Classic controller buttonsIt seems like a bizarre combination, doesn’t it? On the one hand, you have the GDPR – the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulations. On the other, you have an eight month old retro-gaming console. What do these two things have in common? Well, for Memorial Day weekend 2018, that’s what’s been occuping the majority of my time. The serendipitous connection of these two events goes deeper than it seems.

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Nintendo Switch vs Xbox One S vs PlayStation 4 Slim vs iPad Air 2

Video Game ControllerNintendo has some hubris. The Nintendo Switch is slated to be available on March 3, 2017 – for $299. That puts it against the Xbox One S and the PlayStation 4 Slim. Worse, these two competing consoles can be found for significantly less money than $299. Direct from Amazon.com, it’s about $20-$30 cheaper. That’s with a bundled game. The problem is even bigger than that. Why buy a toy when you can get an iPad? The iPad Air 2 was recently on sale for $275. Games are fun, but sometimes you need to be productive. With so many choices, how does the Nintendo Switch fair against the competition?

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Nintendo 3DS — A Surprising Disappointment

Nintendo 3DS - Thumbnail ImageNintendo World is one of my favorite places in New York City. I was in the neighborhood today, so I thought I’d checkout the new Nintendo 3DS. It’s the latest portable gaming system from Nintendo. The main feature is that it has three-dimensional effects, but without the need for special glasses. This is not something that can be photographed or recorded by conventional means. I had to see the device with my own eyes. After having done so, I’m surprisingly disappointed. The 3DS just wasn’t that impressive to me.

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The Poor Man’s Apple TV

When I first learned about the 2010 Apple TV, I thought it was an amazing. This device represented an opportunity for Apple to truly enter the living room — with a gaming console. Apple’s iTunes App Store is already putting fear into Nintendo. The biggest threat to the Wii and the Nintendo DS is not from Sony or Microsoft, but from Apple. With 99¢ games and ubiquitous Apple hardware, Nintendo is in trouble. The Apple TV can literally be a game-changer. But instead, the latest version of Apple TV has been rather wimpy.

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The Netflix Experience – Wii vs. PlayStation 3

Wii Console - Thumbnail for Netflix Review ArticleI’m late to the party on this one, but I finally tried Netflix. After years and years of ignoring television commercials and banner advertisements for Netflix, instant download movies and TV shows have entered my home. Disks in red envelopes are appearing in my mailbox too. But if not for the Wii and the Playstation 3, I probably would have continued to miss out on the joys of modern day movie rentals. Long gone are the days in Brooklyn, where I would run down to the local video store. As for Blockbuster video, you were cool in the 90’s. But today, a gaming console does so much more than play games.

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