Hasta La Gadget!

After an exceedingly long wait, Nintendo announced recently that the Wii U, its next-generation console, will launch on November 18 in the U.S. The Basic Set will set customers back $299, while the Deluxe offering will cost $349.

For those who haven’t spent too much time focusing on the Wii U, the console will ship with HD graphics – a major omission in the Wii – as well as 8GB or 32GB of onboard storage, depending on the version customers pick. Add that to the touchscreen-equipped GamePad, support for Wii remotes, and a traditional, Pro, controller, and consumers will find the whole package Nintendo is offering.

With the announcement of the device’s launch date, Nintendo also opened up preorders on the Wii U. As expected, Nintendo fans have jumped at the chance to be first in line to get their hands on the console, and hardcore gamers are buying it up because, well, that’s what they do.

But for the rest of us, choosing the preorder now isn’t so easy. The console looks great and all, but there are still a host of concerns that Nintendo hasn’t answered that could make or break the value we see in the device.

Chief among those concerns is how much the Wii U’s games will cost. Nintendo has said that its console will have about 50 games available to customers between launch day and the end of March, and it has even said that a new Super Mario game will be available, but those titles will cost $60.

That’s a problem. Nintendo customers have been conditioned to pay less for games for the last two generations. Now they’re paying the same as Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 customers for graphics that really don’t seem all that much better than what we’ve seen to this point? That’s a problem if I’ve ever seen one.

“Many games already available on PS3 or Xbox 360 are coming to Wii U as ports”

But it’s not just that. The Wii U will undoubtedly offer up better graphics than its predecessor, but there is real concern that it won’t be that much of a step up over the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360. In fact, many of the games that are available on those other devices are now coming to the Wii U as simple ports. That’s not exactly the most reassuring news to people who are considering plunking down $300 or $350, plus games, to buy a console.

And what about Nintendo TVii? The platform undoubtedly looks interesting and I don’t doubt for a second that it will enhance the overall entertainment factor in the living room for some, but let’s not forget that this has been tried by Google TV and failed. We also can’t forget that Microsoft is trying its own luck with a dual-screen experience with the Xbox 360, and that could be trouble for Nintendo.

Inevitably what I’m getting at is that I just don’t know what kind of value the Wii U is offering yet. There are still far too many question marks to count, and it appears Nintendo is trying to limit offering up answers to those until it must.

For would-be buyers, that’s a red flag. And it’s something that you should definitely keep in mind before preordering the Wii U.

The Wii U might be a great device. But right now, there’s no way to tell. Don’t forget that.

Why You Shouldn’t Preorder the Wii U Yet is written by Don Reisinger & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Much has been made about Nintendo’s decision to launch a new Wii this year. The Wii U, which allows for gaming both on the television and the controller, is reportedly ready to hit store shelves in November, just in time for the busy holiday season.

Unfortunately for Nintendo, however, the discussion about the Wii U has been more likely to center not on the console’s features, but on its chances of being overshadowed by hardware from the likes of Microsoft and Sony.

See, nearly everyone is wondering when Sony and Microsoft will launch their next consoles. Conventional wisdom currently pegs the Wii U at November, the Xbox 720 at 2013, and the PlayStation 4 at 2014. I get the Nintendo release date and I think the 2013 schedule for the Xbox 720 makes a lot of sense. But it’s the 2014 release date for the PlayStation 4 that concerns me.

Unfortunately for Sony, there’s a good chance that Nintendo will deliver a unique experience that appeals to casual games. And Microsoft, not wanting to get burned by Sony again, will offer up some of the most impressive hardware features we’ve seen yet. That will appeal to the hard-core segment.

“The PS4 will be the device few people want, since existing consoles scratch the gaming itch”

Meanwhile, the PlayStation 3 will continue to sit on store shelves and appear to be the obsolete device no one cares about. The PlayStation 4, offered up as much as a year after the Xbox 720, will be the device that few people want, since the consoles they already have are scratching their gaming itch.

With a 2013 launch, however, all of that could change. Sony could stem any losses it might incur in the casual segment, since those customers would at least want to see what Sony offers before buying the Wii U. And by launching the PlayStation 4 around the same time as the Xbox 720, it stops Microsoft from taking advantage of a full year headstart.

If this generation has taught us anything, it’s that timing matters. Microsoft’s Xbox 360 is by means superior to the PlayStation 3 nowadays, but it has a slight lead because it was offered up long before Sony’s option. If Sony had released the PlayStation 3 at around the same time as Microsoft’s 360, the market would look much different today.

“Another year could make or break Sony’s next console”

So, Sony can’t make that same mistake this time around. Although another year would afford the company the opportunity to bundle better components, it’s far more important for Sony to launch the PlayStation 4 around the same time as the Xbox 720. It’s the kind of move that could make or break Sony’s next console, depending on the decision it makes.

And as for Nintendo? Well, all the company can do is hope for the best. The Wii U looks promising and Nintendo’s first-party lineup has always been popular. But the Wii U won’t have the firepower its competitors will. And the chances of it lasting as long as the PlayStation 4 or Xbox 720 seem slim.

At this point, all Nintendo can hope for is beneficial timing.

Sound familiar, Sony?

[Image credit: Tai Chiem]

Is 2014 too late for the PlayStation 4? is written by Don Reisinger & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

If you look on Amazon or head over to Best Buy, you’ll find a slew of televisions available. Better yet, you’ll find that many of them are discounted right now. Retailers realize that the summer is a tough time to sell televisions, and getting customers in the door with some deals is a great idea.

As enticing as it might be right now to buy a new television, you shouldn’t do so.

Wondering why? Let’s start with the time of the year.

With football season fast approaching, the chances of finding good deals on really great televisions are slim. Retailers know that we’re entering the time of year when we’ll be spending more time inside watching television, and the very thought of giving away the top-end televisions – which offer the best margins — is enough to make them sick.

At the same time, we can’t forget that the Consumer Electronics Show is just a few months away. Each year, television makers unveil the latest and greatest television technology. And I can tell you from experience that there’s absolutely nothing worse than buying a television in, say, October, only to discover that it’s been replaced by something much better in January.

Samsung and Vizio have for years delivered really outstanding television technologies at the Consumer Electronics Show. And this year will likely be no different. So, waiting until the beginning of January to make a purchase might just be a good idea.

“We need to acknowledge Apple’s impact on TV buying”

Why risk getting something now that’ll be obsolete in just a few months?

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, we need to acknowledge the impact Apple should be having on television buying. The iPhone maker is reportedly working on a television that could rival those delivered by Samsung, Panasonic, LG, and others.

The device will come in sizes of 42 inches to 55 inches, according to Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, and deliver a host of nice features, like Siri integration, iCloud support, and apps.

If you’re an Apple fan or just enjoy using the company’s products, spending $2,000 on a high-end television right now would be a major mistake. If Apple is, in fact, launching a television in the next year, you’ll be looking at a $2,000 device you’ll probably wish you didn’t buy.

Handicapping the television market can be extremely difficult. Sometimes, companies you like deliver something really exciting, while others offer up products that fall flat.

Even worse, you need to determine what time of the year you’ll find the best pricing. Typically, that means waiting until after the Super Bowl to pick up your next television. But with changing market dynamics and the possibility of Apple entering the race, anything can (and probably will) change.

But what won’t change is my recommendation to not buy a television right now. At the very least, wait until January to see what companies offer up at CES. Despite some attractive prices on older TV models or mid-range devices, the products you’ll actually want to buy just aren’t worth buying right now.

Why You Shouldn’t Buy A TV Now is written by Don Reisinger & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

WiFi in a camera. No matter the practicality or the cost of adding wireless functionality, it’s become a must for high-end point-and-shoots, and if they don’t pack it now, they soon will. But access hasn’t become as prolific as protocol prophets once preached — we’re at the mercy of pay gates, passwords and bandwidth limitations, even today. Our smartphones, on the other hand, are always connected. There’s no need to fuss with hexadecimals or other cryptic keys — assuming we haven’t crossed an international border, getting online is as convenient as taking a breath. As the world’s most prolific smartphone maker, Samsung is very much invested in cellular. Sure, there were gasps from the crowd at last week’s Unpacked, but built-in 4G makes perfect sense, and while WiFi and a Micro SIM may make the Galaxy Camera an instant winner, it’s Android that completes the package, as the glue that cements this latest category’s promise. Samsung may be the pioneer, but should other manufacturers be scrambling to shift roadmaps, ready to embrace this new digital direction? Tap past the break for our take.

Continue reading Editorial: Android cameras — could Samsung’s Galaxy gamble save the point-and-shoot industry?

Filed under: Cameras, Mobile

Editorial: Android cameras — could Samsung’s Galaxy gamble save the point-and-shoot industry? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Sep 2012 08:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If each tech show has an unofficial theme, then IFA 2012‘s must be Windows 8 tablets. Microsoft’s new OS – in both full 8 and pared-back RT forms – has shown up on touchscreen hardware from all of the main manufacturers, each trying slightly different combinations of size, specs and accessories in the hope of standing out from the crowd. Options are great, of course, but are there signs that Microsoft’s tablet desperation is rubbing off on its OEMs?

Windows may still be dominant on desktops and notebooks, but Microsoft’s footprint in tablets has been underwhelming for years. The company has seen Apple eat not only its lunch but its breakfast, dinner, and afternoon snack in slates, with the iPad helping spread the iOS/OS X ecosystem into all areas of users’ lives.

Microsoft knows it needs to score big with Windows 8/RT (not to mention Windows Phone 8), hence taking matters into its own hands and producing the Surface. Faced with a solid “own-brand” option, Windows OEMs have apparently decided that outlandish riffs are the way to go.

Detachable keyboards have been done already with Android slates, but that hasn’t stopped the idea being well reheated for Windows 8 and RT models. Samsung threw the most devices into the mixture, with the ATIV Tab and Smart PC Pro range each offering removable keyboard docks, but Dell’s XPS 10 and Lenovo’s ThinkPad Tablet 2, HP’s ENVY x2, and ASUS Vivo Tab and Vivo Tab RT, all play with the form-factor.

You can see the appeal of the strategy. Adding full QWERTY is a simple and obvious way to differentiate from the iPad: Apple says its tablet users don’t really need a keyboard, so Windows tablets will sweep up those who still think they really do. That only works, though, when there are keyboards worth typing on, and that certainly wasn’t the case across the board. Chasing competitively light form-factors left some manufacturers with models that are top-heavy – Samsung’s more powerful ATIV Smart PC suffered this fate – and others that simply lacked the sort of key-travel and responsiveness that makes a physical keyboard worthwhile.

“Even a fixed keyboard doesn’t guarantee a decent typing experience”

Even having a fixed keyboard isn’t necessarily a guarantee that you’ll have a decent typing experience. Sony chose to keep its keyboard permanently attached, and instead make the VAIO Duo 11 a tilting-slider; Toshiba did the same with the Satellite U920t, though its screen could at least be adjusted to different angles, rather than the fixed-position VAIO. Dell took a different approach again with the XPS Duo 12, making a device that’s arguably an ultrabook first and then – with the flip of a screen – a tablet second.

Of the three, the Toshiba and Dell had the best feel, though it’s worth noting that they were each significantly larger than the 10-inch tablet norm. Both have a 12.1-inch display; the 11.6-inch VAIO managed to feel cramped, particularly with the bottom edge of the display section ending its travel just above the function key row.

Could it be that manufacturers are chasing unusual form-factors for the sake of form-factors; simply for being noticeably different on store shelves rather than truly delivering on the functionality promise they imply? It’s worth noting that not all of the keyboard docks include batteries, either, a somewhat common-sense addition presumably ditched for its impact on weight.

Microsoft’s Windows partners need the platform to succeed. The iPad is just as damaging to Sony, Samsung, and the others as it is to Microsoft, while Android has shown itself to be – though wildly popular in smartphones – less than capable of a clean sweep in tablets. Windows 8 and Windows RT represent a third contender to keep the slate segment moving, as well as a doorway into those enterprise markets yet to be convinced by the iPad’s business credentials.

That desperation has created a glut of products that, after our first look at IFA, don’t all hold up to scrutiny. Choice of models is important, yes, but so is a product that not only makes sense in ticking spec-sheet boxes but in everyday use. Not all of the Windows 8 tablets brought to Berlin this past week look likely to succeed in both those categories.

Check out all our IFA 2012 coverage in the show hub.

The great Windows tablet keyboard crapshoot is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.