Maybe it needs some more megachips.

 It's been a busy week so far, and I've had a tough time stringing together an article about each individual announcement. They're all announcements or announcements of things that are going to be announced, but nothing in this article actually exists for consumers as of this moment. So, down to business.

 We start off with Apple, of course, who put a tired Steve Jobs in front of a crowd full of crazies to announce the iPad, a hilariously misnamed device that really should have went through common sense quality control before receiving this title. I only watched the demonstration, but either the crowd was just as tired as Jobs was, or something was a little underwhelming. I'm not going to sit here and bash on the lack of a camera or how Apple is sticking with AT&T for the moment, because that's silly talk. I don't see that as being important at all. What is important is that this is a tablet computer, or at least an oversized iPhone. The good news? It's an oversized iPhone. The bad news? It seemed to be marketed towards the e-reader crowd and interactive picture frame more than anything else.

 Apparently, I missed the part where iWorks was announced for the iPad, and I'll give them their due on that. That still doesn't justify this product being what it really is. All Steve Jobs did was go on stage and do what he's already marketing that device for, and that's to read books, play music, and to look really shiny. The latter, of course, is either something great or something awful, and that really depends on how you want to use your tablet. If you would like to stick it on a frame at your desk, do some paperwork, and occasionally answer a text or pick a song with a free hand, then you simply reach over and touch the screen that's displaying a picture of your kids. That sounds awesome and sleek, and don't get me wrong, there's a certain demographic out there that's going to love that. What gets to me is that the device looks fragile, and making it look like a bigger iPhone is not going to help the discussion on how much of a beating this machine can possibly take.

 The real missed use of this item is that it can be one of the greatest tools for students and an all around utility for anyone with a job or a hobby. I know that it's an e-reader, but have you seen what college kids do to their books? That thing wouldn't survive long. It's low-weight, portable, easy to use, it has a touch screen, can be thrown in a knapsack with no fuss when you're on the go...this is something that would get demolished in a college environment. Looking at the design of a Samsung Rugby phone....seriously, how did you not take a cue? A tablet computer is potentially a powerful and portable tool that can be used for immediate application wherever its needed. An iPad doesn't fit that bill.

 Next up is the creamy software filling, Sonic the Hedgehog 4, which doesn't seem to be using my idea of being able to see more screen. That's disappointing, because now you have a game that's been done before. Sonic the Hedgehog 4 just isn't that impressive looking when you get right down to it, and I mean that as a comparative statement. Granted, I haven't seen much, but from what has been announce, this game will offer you up nothing that you couldn't get over at the hack sites. I burned Sonic Megamix to play on a Sega CD and had loads of fun with it. That's not to say that Sonic 4 isn't going to be fun, but I sincerely hope there's a few more tricks up their sleeve than "It's 4!", "More special moves!", and "It's a downloadable game!". I'll get it, sure, but unless they're hiding something, they should have been able to do more.

 Finally, it's making the rounds that the Wii successor is going to be announced very soon and that developers are already making games for it. Now, I'm not entirely sure that every developer knows this, but they are all working on titles for the next Wii because nothing much is going to change. Just as with the GCN to Wii jump, the Wii to Wii2 isn't going to change the formula much. I'm not going to fault Nintendo for this, because it's generally a good idea right now to keep development costs low for their system as a selling point for third parties, and also because they really don't need to throw together a bunch of new hardware to upgrade their system. A graphical boost would be desired, and we're going to get it, but I really don't think any sane person is going to demand that their games look photorealistic. The trick up Nintendo's sleeve that they are not revealing is that this is most likely to be a gap-bridger between the Wii and Natal. HD output was a given, but as I've mentioned in a previous article, you will most likely see a camera and microphone included on the box as well as a few other software surprises. Don't go throwing out your Wiimotes just yet, because the odds are good that you'll be just fine in keeping them. Digg It Stumble it ! Reddit