Activision will have subscription service for Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3

Micro economics is big business in games. Just take a look at Xbox Live or Play Station Network when it is working. Download add on’s are the norm right now. With the music craze a few years back it almost became a business on it’s on. Guitar Hero and Rockband at one time had downloaded content every week like new music releases.

Activision Blizzard known for making subscription based games. Maybe you have heard of one of those little games; World of Warcraft. Well they are going to take that know how and try to translate that into a working model for one of the biggest FPS (First Person Shooter) in the world. Call of Duty has sold millions and holds the record for the biggest one day entertainment sale ever.

Activision Blizzard with the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will have the first of it’s kind subscription-based DLC (Downloadable Content) service called Call of Duty Elite. The player will be able to get extra content and downloadable map packs.No word yet on how much this service will cost but COD fans are very loyal. This could be a start of a whole new way of doing downloads on home consoles.

[Update]
You can now signup for a closed beta.
You just need your birthdate, your console choice, your email address and of course a copy of Call of Duty: Black Ops.

Barcelona beats Manchester United: 3-1

The picture above is what I would have liked to see. I would have liked Man U to play hard and be able to say they won. That did not happen, it seemed at times that United didn’t want to play the game. Yeah, there were a few bad calls against them and some that went unheard that should have been called. Although United played better than 2009 in Rome; they still did not have what it takes to win. The European Cup would go to Barcelona instead.

Lionel Messi considered one of the best players in the world, scored his first goal for Barcelona on English soil. This is Barcelona’s fourth Champions League win. This will not end the arguments about them being named among the best teams ever but it helps their case.

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola could tell that United would not be able to respond to the 3 point lead. Ro be honest anyone watching the game felt it was over after the 2nd score. His team had played a better game and two of the points were basically gifts.

Drifting apart? Here is how to stay a couple

 

It has been a while since I have written any relationship advice so I thought I do that this weekend. Do you feel like you and your partner are drifting apart? It seems that the only time you two talk is to ask for something. You don’t have anything to talk about other than to talk about why you don’t talk anymore. Let’s say she wants to go to the movies but you are more of a stay at home and watch Game of Thrones type of person.

It’s more like you have a pen pal more than a loving relationship. You don’t mean for this to happen it just does over time.  You’re both pretty busy with work, maybe the kids and errands. After work you just want to be left alone and in the morning you have no time for anything else. Here is how you can start to work your back to each other.  Try just these 3 things and see how you do.

[I] Make time to talk to each other

I don’t mean talking about your kids, bills or money issues. No I mean take the time to find out what is going on in their life. You can even talk about a show or say a blog you might have read called Saintel’s Daily.

[II] Enjoy each other again

By that I mean how about you go out on a weekend trip. Nothing too expensive or you can pick up a hobby together. Basketball or dancing.Friday movie night or even just an afternoon coffee date at Starbucks.

[III] Go on a date

Not one of those quick movie nights. I mean a real date. Food at a very nice restaurant and a show. Act like you are dating again for the first time. Keep your phone in the car and no other devices at the table. Have conversations about anything other than work and if you have them kids. You want to try to learn as much about each other as possible.

iPad 2 discounts? Yes and soon as WWDC starts.

Super news site BGR reports that Apple’s will let us all know about their back to School 2011 program at WWDC.  As before you will get a free iPod touch if you are a student and purchase a new Mac. Rumor is that Apple will also take $200 off an iPad.

The Back to School program always runs May or early June. With the WWDC about to start on June 6, it won’t be long till we know. Apple has set up a deal with University of Delaware that let them put a Apple Store right next to university’s library. I see Apple going hard core after students and this is a great way.

Heat beat Bulls as expected. The Finals are set and will be Miami Heat vs. Dallas Mavericks

Heat beat Bulls as expected. . Think about it for a moment, at 3:14 to go and the score 77-65. One would think the game is over but you would be wrong. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade went on a 18 point run to come back. Let’s not give too much credit to the Heat. The Bulls did not score and gave away the ball via turn overs.  Now that the Bulls are out of it what will happen in the off season. Hopefully they get Rose some help to offload the scoring. Not another cutter but someone that can make their own shot or attract the defense a little.

The Finals are set and will be Miami Heat vs. Dallas Mavericks. As I said yesterday it is clear that the finals would be Dallas Vs. Miami. The only thing left to debate is how many games will it take for Miami to win the ring. I know what you are thinking; Dallas has Dirk “I can make any shot” Nowitzki but so what? The same thing that happen to the Bulls will happen to Dallas. They will have an unfair match on their hands. The whole series will be Dirk (1 person) vs. James & Wade (2 people) that is too much to ask anyone to take on. Even for a great player like Dirk.  Kidd and J.J. are good players but not good enough to match up with the Heat talent.

Dallas Mavericks win the Western conference championship. Next up Miami Heat, sorry Bulls Fans

Dallas Mavericks win the Western conference championship thanks to Dirk Nowitzki. They now have reached the NBA finals for only the second time. It seemed the Oklahoma City Thunder were going to get a chance to win the game. That did not last long. The OKC got out played when it counted most, the fourth quarter. They lost 100-96 to clinch the Western Conference title on Wednesday.

The Mavericks came from eight points behind to win the series 4-1 and set up a match up with the Miami Heat or the Chicago Bulls in the NBA finals. (Although everyone knows at this point it will be the Miami Heat) Now the Bulls would just give the ring away to Dallas. The Heat will not be so kind. They will give Dallas a good fight and win it all in six games. More of a full write up when the match up is final tomorrow night.

Minecraft is going mobile. Now you can take your addiction with you

Minecraft! That should be enough to get your attention. The block-building game is an addiction to many around the world. Now it’s headed to Android devices but not before making a pitt stop on Sony’s Xperia Play. Incase you don’t know; Minecraft is a game that has taken off. While at first just a small beta game. It has now sold well over a million even though it is still not officially released.

The game is also headed to iOS devices later this year. Sony’s Xperia Play version will have an advantage over touch screen only devices because it has a gamepad. We don’t know when the game will come out but one thing that is known is that it will be a hit.

The game will be an exclusive to Sony’s Xperia Play for a little while. That extra time will help to get the device in front of the pack of other mobile phones. It is also some good PR for Sony who could use it right now.  Mojang the developer of Minecraft is holding an event at E3 where more information and hopefully hands on playtime will be taking place. I will be there so I will keep you updated as we get more information during the event.

Barnes & Noble’s New Nook: A step back or forward?

Barnes & Noble announced a new version of their e-reader. The tagline for it is “Nook, The Simple Touch Reader”. The price is set at $139, Wi-Fi-only and as the name states it will feature a 6 inch touch-enabled e-ink colorless display. You can get it starting June 10 in stores and pre-order right now.

Barnes & Noble took a clear shot at Amazon’s Kindle by stating that the Nook gets twice the battery life as “the other leading eReader available.” While getting more juice out of the device they still squeeze out 50% more contrast and 80% less flashing when turning pages than the Nook 1st Edition. Barnes & Noble now has 25% of the eReader market but this could help them get more.

CEO William Lynch. “Touch makes it simple to use, and the beautifully compact design makes it the most portable eReader in its class. Add to that an unmatched battery life, the most advanced paper-like touch display on the market and wireless access to the world’s largest digital bookstore, and we believe that for readers of all ages, the All-New NOOK is the best eReader on the market, and a great value at $139.”

At first it seems that Barnes is taking a step back with this new Nook. I mean The Nook Color sales very well and just received a software update adding apps, Adobe Flash and games. Many considered it better than the Kindle. Also at only $249 it was a nice second choice to the iPad. An SEC filing earlier this month leaked plans for a “new eReader device” on May 24.

All those that follow technology assumed Barnes would announce a new tablet with more power and features not a step back into a e-reader. We were wrong but this may work out for the best; still skip the “new” Nook and get the Nook Color instead.

Move over LinkedIn (LNKD) here comes Yandex (YNDX). The Google of Russia goes IPO

Russian search engine Yandex who is called that Google of Russia hits the market today with the symbol YNDX. They also were priced above the high range of what was expected. They priced last night at priced $25 a share for its initial public offering. By the time it hit the open market the stock was over $30 per share. I bought it at $31.87

I have been looking forward to this stock as much as I did for Google and  Baidu. Yandex is the clear cut leader in its field. While Google runs the US search market. It is not king around the world. Baidu runs China and Yandex runs Russia. It’s not even close with the company getting close to 65% of the market.

While the stock is a must buy. It is not a buy and dump stock. It is not like say LinkedIn that was boosted by public buzz. I say again; LinkedIn is not a leader its field. I said the stock would get stable at $60 to $85. It’s now almost there at the range. Yandex will not have that issue. It will keep its gains for the long term.  LinkedIn may have had the second-highest IPO performance of the year but at the end of the day if you did not flip early you were left in the cold. That stock closed down 5% for the day Monday. The point is LinkedIn was for a quick buck. Yandex is a great addition to your portfolio.

Duke Nukem Forever goes gold. No it’s not April 1st

2K Games and Gearbox Software Announce Duke Nukem Forever Has Gone Gold. It can no longer be the butt of jokes. There is no going back after hitting gold status. This is it but there is more. Lucky players will be able to get a early hands on with a demo. The demo is for those that pre ordered. The demo will hit PSN, PC’s and Xbox Live on June 3rd. The game hit stores a week later on June 10th. It’s been 15 years. This game better be good. Keep in mind that that Duke Nukem Forever is rated M for Mature by the ESRB. So even though it may be a good game, high sales might not follow.

Christoph Hartmann president of 2K said what everyone is thinking right now; “Today marks an amazing day in the annals of gaming lore, the day where the legend of Duke Nukem Forever is finally complete and it takes that final step towards becoming a reality.”

The Press release [Short]:
New York, NY – May 24, 2011 – 2K Games and Gearbox Software are proud to announce that Duke Nukem Forever®, one of the most anticipated entertainment properties of all time, has “gone gold” and will be available at retailers on June 10, 2011 internationally and on June 14, 2011 in North America. The road to gold was paved over the course of 15 years and its legendary path climaxes on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Windows PC. Gamers who pre-order the title from select outlets will ensure that they are among the first to experience this legendary piece of gaming history when the demo* launches on June 3, 2011 for all platforms, exclusively for Duke Nukem First Access Club Members.

Created over the span of 15 years, Duke Nukem Forever was first developed with the intense passion and commitment from an inspired group of dedicated designers, artists and programmers at 3D Realms under the direction of game industry icon, George Broussard.

In 2009, after many believed that Duke Nukem Forever would never be completed, a small team of intrepid developers, known as Triptych Studios, resurrected the dream. Through their inspiring and steadfast commitment to the game and their exemplary talent and skill, they finally assembled the pieces to create an incredible, epic and cohesive gameplay experience. Under the production of Gearbox Software, Triptych Studios, Piranha Games and many other contributors joined together in a heroic effort to complete the long awaited game as a polished, full-featured triple-A title. Check out www.dukenukemforever.com/preorder/ to see exactly how much stuff could be crammed into one box.

Apologizing to no one, Duke Nukem Forever is the high-octane video game equivalent of a Hollywood summer blockbuster. Starring the legendary lady killer and alien slayer, Duke Nukem Forever brings gamers back to a blastastic time when games were filled with head-popping, bone-rattling action, brazenly crude humor, impossibly statuesque women dying for affection, and catchy one-liners meant to make you laugh out loud.

Duke Nukem Forever is rated M for Mature by the ESRB. For more information on the game, including where to pre-order, please visit www.dukenukemforever.com.

*Xbox LIVE, PSN or Steam, Duke First Access Club token and Internet connection required to access demo.