Nerd Rating

Author: Scott Simmons

  • Did You Get Your iPhone 5 Reserved? Don’t Worry A Lot Of Others Didn’t Either.

    2 Week Waits Now Reported By Apple

    I really hope you were able to get that iPhone 5 pre-order in fast. Apple is now saying that there is now a two week wait for a lot of people who got online last night and pre-ordered the new iteration of the iPhone. That means that even if you did get your order in last night that you are not guaranteed an iPhone 5 on September 21st but sometime within a two week window.

    Add that to a lot of problems people were having with not being able to change their addresses when ordering the phones and Apple is not exactly having the smoothest beginning to a launch. It is possibly a minor problem….or the beginning of the end without Steve Jobs!!!!

    I’m guessing a minor problem.

  • You Like Wii U Boxes? Here Is Your Fix!

    Gimme, Gimme, Gimme.

    You know there is always more Wii U coverage around the corner! Here are some shots of what we (yes I did it) will be holding in our grubby little hands on November 18 when Nintendo releases their next console. I have bought every Nintendo system on day one (except the NES cause I was six) and the trend will continue.

    Just in case you missed any of our coverage yesterday, the basic set will run you $299.99 and the deluxe will set you back $349.99 but really is the better deal with the extras Nintendo is throwing in.

  • NBA Live 13 Lives!!!

    Game Is Delayed, Not Dead

    For the three basketball fans on the planet that don’t enjoy the 2K series of games (that would be me and two guys from Ann Arbor, Michigan) it has been a long road of basketball-less video game days. EA has not released a new game since NBA Live 10 and hasn’t made a good one since….well it’s been a while.

    After the NBA franchise was handed over to Tiburon to get EA’s b-ball flagship back on the rails it went the complete opposite direction. The series was renamed to NBA Elite and famously cancelled only one week before it’s release date. EA then decided to take time away from the game and was going to come back strong this year with NBA Live 13. The game was shown off to a group of “meh’s” from people and when August hit and I had not seen anything new from the game I feared the worst.

    But now EA has released a new trailer today and assured everyone that NBA Live 13 is alive and well. And even though it will not go head to head with NBA 2K13 on October 2 it will be released soon.

    Take a look at the new trailer below and leave your hate comments also since I blasphemed the name of NBA 2K.

    I’m sorry I have tried to like it. It just does not click with me.

  • Wii U Games Rundown

    What Will You Be Playing On Launch Day?

    With Nintendo’s announcement of the Wii U price and release date today we are in the home stretch for the new console. Now we know how much will need to be saved (if today’s event convinced you to get one of course) and now you need to decide what games you want to get. Here is a list of games that are either launch day titles or will release in the fabled Nintendo “launch window”.

    • New Super Mario Bros. U

    • NintendoLand
    • Zombi U
    • Call Of Duty: Black Ops 2
    • Assassin’s Creed 3
    • Rayman Legends
    • Mass Effect 3
    • Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition
    • The Wonderful 101 (formerly Project P-100)
    • FIFA 13
    • Madden NFL 13
    • Aliens: Coloniel Marines

    • Bayonetta 2
    • Skylanders Giants
    • Tekken Tag Tournamnent 2 (or T4 -BEYOND!)
    • Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate
    • 007 Legends
    • Transformers Prime
    • Wipeout 3
    • Trine 2: Director’s Cut
    • Lego City Undercover

    • Wii Fit U
    • Game & Wario
    • Darksiders 2
    • Avengers: Battle For Earth

      • It’s quite a good list for the first few months of the Wii U but is it enough to make you take the plunge and get one?

     

  • Bayonetta 2 Announced And Is A Wii U Exclusive.

    Nintendo gave fans of everyone’s favorite sword toting, gun high heel wearing hero a surprise when they announced that Bayonetta 2 would be making it’s way to the Wii U and not only that but it would be an exclusive title for the console. This is a good thing because Nintendo is going to need more exclusive titles like this to get more than casual gamers into buying the Wii U.

    Take a look at the short teaser trailer below.

  • Watch The Nintendo TVii Announcement Trailer

    Changing The Way You Interact With Your Television.

    Take a look at the trailer for Nintendo TVii that was announced today during the Wii U event. It is more than simply just adding your Netflix or Hulu services to your Wii U. It makes those services as well as your live TV an interactive experience using the gamepad. To me it was the one good surprise about the show today and makes me think of the future possiblities of interactive entertainment with the controller.

    http://youtu.be/08O0G9CjcI8

  • Wii U Releases On November 18. Nintendo TVii Announced.

    A Pricey Situation?

    As expected Nintendo has announced that the Wii U will be released on November 18 and just like the Japanese counterpart it will come available in two bundles.

    For $299.99 you will get the basic set which has a white Wii U console, gamepad, HDMI cable, sensor bar and 8GB hard drive. The deluxe set is a $50 bump up in price to $349.99 and comes with a black Wii U, gamepad, HDMI cable, docks for the console and controller, sensor bar, AC adapters, 32GB hard drive and will come packed with NintendoLand.

    Nintendo is giving you a good amount for the deluxe set but it is still about $50 overpriced to me. I was expecting a $249/$299 combo.

    Yes, It Is Really Called TVii

    Now don’t let the name fool you, this actually is a pretty cool service. The Wii U will allow you to view all your content from your Netflix, Hulu Plus or Amazon Prime services not just on your console but on the gamepad as well. You will also be able to watch live TV and set your DVR timers from the Wii U.

    The show Modern Family was shown and as the show played on the TV  you were able to see bullet points of what was happening on the show and could mark favorite parts of the show, put emoticons on them to show how they made you feel and even tweet or connect to Facebook the parts of the show you liked. This is a good show of just how different the Wii U gamepad can be when it is used for things besides games.

    Even sports were given the Wii U treatment with highlights shown from last year’s Alabama/LSU game (Roll Tide) and live scores were shown on the gamepad as well as what looked like stats and even campus locations shown on maps.

     What About The Games?

    Nintendo had a pretty good lineup of games to show but it wasn’t a whole lot different from what was shown at their multiple E3 press conferences.

    They did have the announcements that Bayonetta 2 would be coming as a Wii U exclusive and Activision showed off some playable footage of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 which showed off how you can do multiplayer using the gamepad as a seperate screen. This actually excited me about the future of online multiplayer in games on the system because it gets rid of the need for splitting the television screen in two.

    It seems like as of today that Super Mario Bros. U and NintendoLand are the only launch day titles known right now. Nintendo said that more will be announced closer to November 18 but that doesn’t instill confindence for day one purchasers. Anyone that has bought a Nintendo system knows of the dreaded term “launch window” title. And that was thrown around a lot today.

    So What’s The Verdict?

    The event today left me honestly exactly 50/50 about the Wii U. As a Nintendo fanboy it is hard for me to resist a day one purchase but there are still some wants that need to be fulfilled.

    What I liked:

    • The gamepad really looks like it could be a true innovation if used properly.
    • Nintendo TVii, despite the stupid name, was a really cool service that I could actually see myself using.
    • The game lineup looks good even with the “launch window” phrase.
    • I can’t believe I actually want to play Lego Undercover

    What I didn’t like:

    • The price. If I get one it will be the deluxe set and $349 is still $50 over what I was expecting to pay on the high end.
    • That dang “launch window”. We know that with Nintendo that can become a very long wait.
    • The feeling that Nintendo themselves still are not sold on if the Wii U is the next step in gaming.
    • I did not hear how much an extra gamepad would cost. Which most likely means expensive.

    Did today’s event convince you one way or the other on a Wii U? What about the price point? Let us know what you think and stay here for more Wii U updates as they come.

     

     

     

     

     

  • Wii U Releasing In Japan On December 8

    Two Bundles Announced

    Japan will be getting their hands on the Wii U on December 8 and they will have a choice to make.

    Nintendo announced at their Japanese press conference that the Wii U will come in color coded bundles. The premium bundle will come with a black Wii U, one gamepad, a controller dock, HDMI cable and a 32 GB hard drive. It will retail for ¥30,000. The basic bundle comes with a white Wii U, gamepad, HDMI cable and 8GB hard drive. Cost will be ¥25,000.

    No games were announced to be packed in with the system but that may change when Nintendo’s American event happens at 9AM CST this morning.

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • iPhone 5 Officially Announced

    Releasing on September 21st for $199.

    As expected, today Apple announced the iPhone 5. And in today’s age of leaked content and footage there really is no surprise on the look of it. It it a two toned back and 4″ elongated screen like the leaked photos over the past few days. The phone will come loaded with iOS 6 straight out of box and the new, smaller A6 chip which is twice as fast as the A5 and allow for 2X better graphics.

    The camera will be the same as the 4S with a few improvements including 40% faster shutter speed and a built in panoramic mode as well as having facial detection for up to ten people. The back camera will be able to shoot 1080p video and the front will get to shoot our ugly mugs in 720p.

    Battery life has been improved with 225 hours of standby time and can even run 8 hours on 4G LTE.

    Size Matters

    Like I said before the phone is getting a bump in screen size to 4″ but it will be longer and not wider. Also the iPhone 5 will be 20% lighter and 18% thinner than the 4S. Apple said that they did this because they believe you should be able to handle everything on your phone with one hand (maybe a dig at such phones as the Galaxy Note).

    The new power connector is also going smaller and is called Lightning. It is 80% smaller and digital. Apple has an adapter ready to sell if you want to use your stockpile of old iPhone or iPod cords with the new phones as well.

    Siri update my status…wait wait!

    Don’t worry Siri users, the digital chick is getting a few upgrades to. First off you will now be able to update your Facebook using the service which I can already tell is going to be so much fun to watch certain people’s drunken Siri talks accidentally go up for all to see. For the sports fan you can now ask Siri about your favorite team and get live score updates on the screen.

    Apple said that the iPhone 5 will be available for pre-order on September 14th and released on September 21st. The prices are the same as when the 4S released last year so $199 for 16GB, $299 for 32GB and $399 for 64GB. The 4S will drop to $99 and the 4 will become free with a two year contract.

    What say all of you? Is it a big enough jump to get rid of your 4 or even your 4S?

     

  • Nintendo Gives You A Heads Up On Their Wii U Event

    Reggie Fils-Aime Is Ready. Are You?

    We are only a day away from Nintendo’s big Wii U preview event and today Nintendo has sent out a video letting everyone know how to catch the live stream of the show. I’ll just let Reggie explain it in true Nintendo style.

    The show begins tomorrow morning at 9AM CST and presumably will be where Nintendo will announce the release date and pricing for the Wii U. I hope they also give us an idea of what their launch day titles will be. Keep checking with us here tomorrow and we will keep you updated as fast as we can.

    http://youtu.be/WyGo4Tbd7O0