BioWare considering iPhone development

BioWare was in the news today saying that they are looking into possibly developing for the iPhone.  Greg Zeschuk (co-CEO) says he finds the platform “intriguing.”

So there you go!  The Mac may not be good enough for game developers, but everyone (and I do mean everyone) in the industry is watching the iPhone.  In a couple short weeks iPhone 2.0 hits and the industry is looking to see if the platform becomes the next big contender in the handheld/mobile games market.  Demos of games such as Super Monkey Ball and Spore on the iPhone have definitely turned some heads and it’s definitely got me excited.  I mean come on…Spore on the iPhone! How bad ass is that going to be?

Could this be the moment Mac gamers have been waiting for?  Could the iPhone be the thing that gets game developers actually making games for our sadly game-less Macs?  One would think that the logical answer would be yes.  Unfortunately, I fear that the games industry isn’t always thinking logically.

One can only hope.

Mac: The Ignored

So I received my invite to the closed beta of the new online game Wizard101 (go ahead…laugh all you want).  I was pretty excited to give it a try until I hit their website and discovered that it’s PC only.

Lame.

So check it out games industry people:  In case you haven’t heard, there is this wonderful technology called OpenGL.  I know you all have a crazy hard on for DirectX and all things Microsoft, but the way I see it, it’s a simple issue of basic math:

DirectX = Windows

OpenGL = Windows + Mac + Linux = potentially more people buying your game = more money!

Go figure!  Who would’ve thunk it?  I mean seriously, do you guys honestly believe that Mac users don’t like to play games?  Blizzard knows better and has always supported the Mac.  So what gives?  Did it ever occur to you that maybe part of the reason that WoW is kicking the shit out of all of the other MMOs that are trying to dethrone it is because Blizzard embraces the millions of people out there that use Macs?

I work in the games industry.  I also play a ton of games (mostly on console hence the writing of this rant).  The company I work for is focused on the online gaming market and much to my chagrin, they are ignoring the Mac platform just like everyone else.  But for the product I’m working on, it’s been our goal to make sure that everyone can play our game.

Hmmm…equality in gaming…such a novel idea.

I’ve done a lot of research into technology over the last several months and guess what?  There’s a lot of great OpenGL engines out there.  It’s not an issue of there not being any good tech available for developers to use.  It simply comes back to the fact that the games industry is notorious for just falling in line and doing what everyone else is doing (think Unreal Engine).  No one wants to do anything different or innovative (think GTA, the bazillion FPS games out there, and the recent onslaught of MMOs).  But guess what…it’s the rare ones that do break out and do something innovative that shake up the industry (heard of a little thing called the Wii?).  And then innevitably everyone follows suit and starts copying the innovator and it all starts over again.  It’s a vicious cycle really.

The bottom line is that the Mac isn’t going away anytime soon.  Mac sales are skyrocketing and more and more people are starting to “think differently” about how they use computers (sorry…couldn’t help myself there).  So ignoring the platform isn’t going to make it go away.  It’s only going to equte to less units sold.  Simple.

// End Rant

Diablo 3

You know, I wasn’t a huge fan of the previous Diablo games.  I just felt like out of all of Blizzard’s games, the Diablo games were probably the weakest.  But I have to say, the screenshots of Diablo 3 that have come out look stunning.

I will definitely be picking this one up.  And the fact that Blizzard is not shafting Mac users makes me that much happier.  Joystiq has plenty more screens for your viewing pleasure.

That's better...

Bill Gates slams Windows usability

I don’t have words to describe how beautiful this is.  An email has surfaced that was written back in 2003 in which the Man himself, Bill Gates, goes on a rant about how horrible Windows usability has become.  This is truly a priceless find.  I might just have to print it out and hang it on my wall.

My favorite part:

“Someone decided to trash the one part of Windows that was usable? The file system is no longer usable. The registry is not usable. This program listing was one sane place but now it is all crapped up.”

Amen!

// Begin Rant

Look, I was a die hard Windows user.  Always had been.  I had that mentality that Macs were overpriced and for snobs and whatnot (insert typical Windows fanboy talking point here).  But my frustration level with Windows grew to epic proportions.  I won’t go into the details…but suffice it to say, I had had enough.  So, I decided to take the plunge and by a Mac.

I waited for Intel Macs and Leopard and then bought a 24” iMac.  And I haven’t looked back.  I have rediscovered actual joy in using a computer.  No I’m not saying Macs are perfect.  They have their issues (computers will be computers), but as far as usability goes, there’s no contest.

And therein lies the heart of the debate in my humble opinion.  It’s not about cost - how much is my time worth when I have to spend hours reinstalling software and drivers?  And don’t get me started on that crap they call Windows networking.  It’s not about compatability - Parallels or Bootcamp + Windows = ‘nuff said.  For me, it’s all about usability.  Why should I have to be frustrated every time I turn my computer on?  Why can’t it just do what it’s friggin’ supposed to do for a change?

In the usability war, OS X wins hands down!  And that is good enough for me.

// End Rant