TheGameCollective

If you would like to retrieve your PlayStation 3 trophies data in an easy to read format, say, for reading into a mysql database or your own JAVA or iPhone computer program etc, then read on.

The PS3 Trophies API is a single PHP file, which takes as input, your PSN id, and the churns out all of your current PS3 Trophies achieved. The API is available from the following url, http://www.thegamecollective.co.uk/psn.php. All that’s needed is to pass your PSN id, for example, dunnestar, to the url:

http://www.thegamecollective.co.uk/psn.php?psnid=dunnestar

And you’ll receive the data back in an xml format.

You can pass the parameter format=key to receive the data as a properties file, like so:

http://www.thegamecollective.co.uk/psn.php?psnid=dunnestar&format=key

This API is a single PHP file and is currently being improved upon to include a variety of other features too. Leave a comment and I’ll post the API if anyone is interested!

Will digital distribution of games ever become the defacto method of game delivery? I think it will, eventually. But only when it becomes more beneficial for gamers to do so. The music industry currently benefits from a maturing digital distribution model, so what can the video game industry mimc from that music industries approach?

A number of things must change before digital distribution of games can ever overtake physical media distribution: 1, the cost of games and, 2, the convenience factor for the gamer. Direct2Drive, a leading digital distributor of games, currently sells new release PC games at a higher price than can be had via indies and, especially, online retailers. Not good when you consider that your traditional brick and mortar retailer will have significant over heads for selling physical media (staff and office space). So why the high cost? Well, one reason is the sheer amount of bandwidth the distributor is required to provide for games at be downloaded at high speed. But with bandwidth costs spiraling (and increasing pressure on our governments to improve broadband infrastructure), the costs here will decrease.

The next factor, the convenience factor, is equally as important as cost. The music industry currently benefits from a mature digital distribution market. Music can be downloaded and played on your favourite music player within a few moments of paying for it. Games, on the other hand, tend to have a much larger storage footprint and can take a whole day, depending on your internet connection speed, to download. Thankfully, broadband speeds are continuing to increase and will improve this situation.

Another issue affecting current digital distribution model for games, is a thorny one, the issue of right of first sale. Many gamers will sell their completed games, and use that cash to part pay for the next game. With the current model for digital distribution, this approach is not possible, making gaming significantly more expensive. Reducing the initial cost of a game via digital distribution would negate this issue, but the reduction would need to be significant to balance things out. This isn’t going to happen in the near future. A mechanism could be employed to enable the transfer of digital ownership, but would open up new channels for piracy of games.

Digital distribution of games is a natural next step for the industry, and we’re already passed the point of no return. Sony’s already has the PlayStation Store for it’s PlayStation 3 owners. Microsoft’s Xbox Live MarketPlace, and iTunes are all examples of infrastructure currently in place to accommodate this next step.

When Sony release firmware 3 for PlayStation 3, they inlcuded a fantastic treat – BBC’s iPlayer. At first, I was unmoved, and thought it a little pointless. Until one eveing, I wanted to catch up on F1 hightlights, and realised just how fantasic it really is – it’s easy to use and works really well. Naturally, one might ask, what other features might Sony have planned for the PlayStation 3? According to IncGamers.com, Sony have not ruled out other options for the console. There’s pressure on Sony to add further features since the announcement that Sky TV will be adding a potentially awesome software add on for the Xbox 360. Looking forward to the next firmware release!

You’d be forgiven for thinking that dedicated servers were one of the most important aspects of online PC gaming. But not, as it seems, as far as Infinity Ward are concerned! According to IncGamers.com, Infinity Ward have announced that dedicated srever support will be removed from the game, adopting instead a console like approach offered by IW.Net. A huge change to the game’s lineage and so close to launch?! Many will feel cheated, especially those who helped build up the franchise in the dedicated server market.

Many will be asking why Infinity Ward are changing the way PC gamers play online, moving instead to a less community based console match making approach. Seems incredible, so this author is reserving judgement until an official response is received.

So, who’ll be the ultimate victor in the big boys console war? Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3? Given the heated and often dirty debate this question evokes in many, perhaps I should now turn of comments for this post! I spend a great deal of time thinking of this very subject – hence this post.

To start with, Microsoft’s Aaron Greenberg said in a recent interview with Games Industry, that he believes the recent PS3 sales boost, following the slim release and a price cut, is just a short term bump. Greenberg continues by pointing out that Sony loses money on each PS3 slim sold. Perhaps this suggests that the business model Sony employs is unsustainable, but didn’t Sony recently manage to get the cost of a console down to ~ £150 a piece? And doesn’t So maybe this is non information, he wouldn’t be doing his job if he wasn’t bigging up his products in interviews, now, would he?!

I believe both consoles are well placed to become the winner in this ‘war’. With the release of the PS3 slim, Sony has adopted a new approach to selling it’s flagship console. Firstly, it’s a slick looking, whisper quiet (well, nearly!), BluRay player and great media center, which just so happens to be a stonking game machine.

While Micrsoft want their console to be more than just a games machine. Up until recently, only price cuts have been adopted along the way to shore up interest. However, in October, Sky TV are set to release software for the Xbox that will extend the reach of Sky TV to a greater audience via the Xbox 360. Making it a very attractive media center for the home! But there are some downpoints to this service – you need broadband, it’ll cost you for the service and the Xbox 360 isn’t near whisper quiet! Not exactly the perfect marriage – but then the best marriages don’t need to be perfect!

There’s many other points to consider in this battle, like Natal and Sony Motion Controller and how that will impact on the gaming experience. Then there’s the rumour that Microsoft are already considering the relase of the next Xbox in 2012 while Sony are trying to squeeze a few more years out of the PS3. With the release of any new Xbox console, the Xbox fanbase is set to benefit from a major and most likely, a PS3 thrashing  upgrade. A major coup!

If Sony can pull of the new approach to selling it’s flagship console, then it has a real chance of triumph here. Either way, it’s going to get very interesting!

How many of us are thinking of the next generation of console? PS4 and Wii 2 – what improvements might they bring to our gaming needs? Typically, the improvements were easy to predict – greatly improved graphics, processing power and functionality. That is, until Nintendo produced the Wii, or rather, they spotted a trend in gaming and exploited it to great effect. By producing a cheap and graphics light console and instead, targeting the kids purse string holders and appealing to good parents concern for their children’s health, Nintendo single handedly turned the decades long gaming trend on its head. The idea of getting up and moving about to play a game was new and, it would appear, inspiring. Ignoring the fact that the Wii remote and nunchuck were only able to detect general movements, the new control device was innovative and caught imaginations the world over!

Sony and Microsoft, on the other hand, created consoles that fitted into the trend very nicely, obeying and (generally at least) satisfying the hardcore gamer’s needs.  The PS3 and Xbox 360 are powerful gaming machines, with the traditional joypad as the main controlling device.

The success of the Wii raised some serious questions – Is the age of increasing graphical montage coming to an end? Is the hardcore gaming market shrinking or becoming bored of gaming?? Neither – the general consensus is (as far as I have interpreted) that gamer appetites have grown more diverse. Consider the popularity of games on Facebook and Yahoo and other social sites, booming markets, which have poor graphics, and focus instead on game play and the social gaming aspect. Evidence perhaps that gameplay is of prime importance to gamers. There’s still a monster demand for ‘Hardcore gaming’, feeding the improving graphics movement and makes up games such as COD4 and Gears of War – complex games in terms of control and skill to play. And then there’s Wii sports, great gameplay that all the family can play and games which can be picked up with friends and everyone can get involved, couples and all. Gamer’s want their games to become more engaging!

So, step in Natal and PlayStation Motion Controller. Microsoft’s and Sony’s responses to the gaming market’s gamplayability desires. Both of these systems offer huge potential in gameplay and are set to turn gaming on it’s nogen with greater enthusiasm than Ninendo’s aging stick. And if Sony and Microsoft can pull the new systems off, I reckon, enough to breath plenty of extra life into both the Xbox 360 and PS3, enabling both companies to put of the next generation of console for at least another 5 years. These two new control systems could well put Nintendo at risk of falling far behind in the console arena – even considering the Wii Motion Plus. The Wii will become the assteically poor cousin, making the need for a Wii 2 more important if Nintendo to maintain its current lead – I’ll hazard a guess at 3 years!

The future if gaming is looking very interesting indeed!

Can the PSPGo ever be a success? There are now many articles writing about how Sony sees the sales of it’s 3 week old console (3 weeks at the time of writing!) ‘in line with expectations,’ but the fact that HMV, Amazon and Game have already dropped the price of the console to £199 would indicate that it’s not been too popular. It’s more expensive than the PSP-3000 (and the UMD drive has been replaced by cheaper flash memory, so it ought to be cheaper??) and the games have to be bought online, so no reselling those completed games to pay for the next title. Personally, these points mentioned are what make me think that the PSPGo is not going to be a popular machine – at least not at it’s current price point. Another £5o off the price and I’d be sorely tempted. It ticks all the boxes; sleek, light and decent games. But for most people, not being able to sell your old games on to pay for new ones might make this console too expensive in the long run!

I was reading a Gamespot article which declares ‘Naughty Dog takes everyone by surprise by adding a social element to Uncharted 2′.
Should anyone really be surprised by this? The first Uncharted title didn’t include any multiplayer aspect and was a 1 player game – completely normal. But when you consider that some of the most successful games franchises are multiplayer games (COD, Unreal, Halo to name a few) and that a multiplayer element adds longevity to a game, then it makes sense to add such a feature to games. Whether they’re online or on your sofa, games are much more fun when played with others and gamers are less likely to sell a game on after completion if it’s got something left in it. I often just sell a 1 player game when I’ve completed it. The choice to complete the game again in ‘Ultra Hard mode’ is less compelling than the next new title I want to get! Multiplayer is going to become a much more common part of gaming!

There’s many things that interest me – from gadgets to things that get the old ticker racing… like scary films – and Call of Duty 4 is up there at the top of the pile! PC is the platform of choice, mainly because I find FPS games difficult to get used to on consoles, and because I’ve spent a small fortune on graphics cards and top notch RAM. But latley, COD4’s follow up, Modern Warfare 2 has been increasingly occupying my thoughts! The problem is, it ain’t out till  November! I’ve pre ordered the PC version to try and scratch  the itch, but that just isn’t going to make the game come faster! So, I tried preordering the PS3 version, and nope, that didn’t do the trick either. So here I am blogging about it, and I’m going to punt that this isn’t going to make the itch go away…. until then – I’ll let life crack on and catch me by surprise with the burst of excitement that comes with each thought of MW2!