Saturday, May 3, 2014
Self-censored posts
It occurred to me that the more I use my alias (fibbef) across the internet, more and more suspicious people may think to check my blog. Although I don't post very often at all, I felt the need to edit a couple of previous posts that show my wife. This may be an act of paranoia, but I believe that my wife wants a significantly smaller internet presence than me. So if you've wandered back to my blog looking for my wedding photo or a video of my spouse and I, I have removed both.
Thursday, January 2, 2014
GameStop is Shady
There honestly won't be a whole lot of depth to this post. I do also realize that it has been more than one year since my last post. Since I last checked in, Kelli and I bought a new house which is easily twice as large as our previous place. Yes, it's very large and pretty nice, if I do say so myself. But that's not what I'm here to talk about…
GameStop is a pretty decent chain when you want to buy video games. They keep a good selection of newer games and have a modest variety of previous generation titles. But what I think is their biggest downside is just that - they're a chain. They are actually the largest video game specialty store in America [citation needed] and that means A) their motives are largely profit-driven and B) they easily overpower their competition, which usually takes the form of locally-owned game stores or smaller chains that operate only a handful of franchises.
But what's so bad about that? After all, that's just good 'ole capitalism and this is America, after all. If that's what I'm whining about here, I might as well just turn this into a Wal-Mart bashing article. What really tweaks my girdle is GameStop's operating practices. Consider the following:
Every game on GameStop's show floor is an empty case. This makes sense to me as it makes it much harder for a shoplifter to get off with anything of any great value. What doesn't make a lick of sense to me is how GS has the nerve to list half of this merchandise as "New". To collectors (of any item, not just video games), there is a great distinction between new, like new, good, fair, poor, et cetera. The moment the manufacturer's seal is broken from a piece of merchandise, it is no longer considered "new". It bothers me that GS can get away with this and still charge full price for a "new" item.
Not only do I view this as downright unethical, this also opens the door to even greater travesties which I only recently realized. In short, in addition to selling used games as "new", they can also do the reverse and sell a brand new game as used. Why would they do that? Please continue to follow me.
In the first situation - selling a used game as new - I discovered how awful this practice was when I found two copies of Phantasy Star Portable at a local GS. One copy was not in the original case, did not have the instruction manual, and the printed sleeve was missing. This copy was being sold as "used" for $6.99. Another copy included the manual and printed sleeve, but the case looked like it had sat under a teenager's bed for a year and a half before traded back in for in-store credit. This game was obviously not new, but GS could charge the "new" price of $19.99 - highway robbery.
Now in the second situation, selling a brand new game may not seem like a issue. Typically the used price of a game is lower than the new price of a game. Typically. Let me enlighten you.
Xenoblade is a Japanese-style role-playing game made that was originally released exclusively in Japan. However, a large number of American RPG fans petitioned Nintendo to bring the game to the U.S. Their campaign worked and Nintendo localized the game for American fans, but only in very little quantities and exclusively to GameStop stores. Brand new, the game cost $50. However, due to the rarity and exclusiveness of the game, used copies sell for $70 at GS and higher elsewhere online, like at Amazon.com.
I picked up a copy of of Xenoblade Chronicles (as it was thus named when it came stateside) after this Christmas. After all, if the price for a used copy is bound to go up from here, I might as well buy a copy now. I can guarantee that my copy of the game was brand new. The case was shiny and clean, the manual was unbent and unwrinkled, and the media side of the disc was spotlessly clean. I am meticulous with the care of my many games, but even I can't keep the "never-been-played" sheen on my game discs.
I understand there's little I can do about this type of shady business except not shop at GameStop. I already bought my game. All I can do is hope its value skyrockets over time. I will leave with a bit of advice though: if you're considering starting a game collection of value, or are looking to get the most bang for your buck, don't blindly go straight to a GameStop. Instead, look into smaller stores like Gamers or Video Games Etc. or "mom and pop" game stores. Many times their prices will be lower than GS just to try to remain competitive. They also have sales that make their prices even more competitive. Check in frequently because you never know when they'll start discounting games for a certain console.
Lastly, don't overlook the thrift shop. I have been fortunate enough to discover literally hundreds of dollars worth of games at thrift stores but only paid less than what I'd pay for a McDonald's value meal. Seriously, ask me about it sometime. I love retelling tales of my best game finds. Most of them don't take place at GameStop.
GameStop is a pretty decent chain when you want to buy video games. They keep a good selection of newer games and have a modest variety of previous generation titles. But what I think is their biggest downside is just that - they're a chain. They are actually the largest video game specialty store in America [citation needed] and that means A) their motives are largely profit-driven and B) they easily overpower their competition, which usually takes the form of locally-owned game stores or smaller chains that operate only a handful of franchises.
But what's so bad about that? After all, that's just good 'ole capitalism and this is America, after all. If that's what I'm whining about here, I might as well just turn this into a Wal-Mart bashing article. What really tweaks my girdle is GameStop's operating practices. Consider the following:
Every game on GameStop's show floor is an empty case. This makes sense to me as it makes it much harder for a shoplifter to get off with anything of any great value. What doesn't make a lick of sense to me is how GS has the nerve to list half of this merchandise as "New". To collectors (of any item, not just video games), there is a great distinction between new, like new, good, fair, poor, et cetera. The moment the manufacturer's seal is broken from a piece of merchandise, it is no longer considered "new". It bothers me that GS can get away with this and still charge full price for a "new" item.
Not only do I view this as downright unethical, this also opens the door to even greater travesties which I only recently realized. In short, in addition to selling used games as "new", they can also do the reverse and sell a brand new game as used. Why would they do that? Please continue to follow me.
In the first situation - selling a used game as new - I discovered how awful this practice was when I found two copies of Phantasy Star Portable at a local GS. One copy was not in the original case, did not have the instruction manual, and the printed sleeve was missing. This copy was being sold as "used" for $6.99. Another copy included the manual and printed sleeve, but the case looked like it had sat under a teenager's bed for a year and a half before traded back in for in-store credit. This game was obviously not new, but GS could charge the "new" price of $19.99 - highway robbery.
Now in the second situation, selling a brand new game may not seem like a issue. Typically the used price of a game is lower than the new price of a game. Typically. Let me enlighten you.
Xenoblade is a Japanese-style role-playing game made that was originally released exclusively in Japan. However, a large number of American RPG fans petitioned Nintendo to bring the game to the U.S. Their campaign worked and Nintendo localized the game for American fans, but only in very little quantities and exclusively to GameStop stores. Brand new, the game cost $50. However, due to the rarity and exclusiveness of the game, used copies sell for $70 at GS and higher elsewhere online, like at Amazon.com.
I picked up a copy of of Xenoblade Chronicles (as it was thus named when it came stateside) after this Christmas. After all, if the price for a used copy is bound to go up from here, I might as well buy a copy now. I can guarantee that my copy of the game was brand new. The case was shiny and clean, the manual was unbent and unwrinkled, and the media side of the disc was spotlessly clean. I am meticulous with the care of my many games, but even I can't keep the "never-been-played" sheen on my game discs.
I understand there's little I can do about this type of shady business except not shop at GameStop. I already bought my game. All I can do is hope its value skyrockets over time. I will leave with a bit of advice though: if you're considering starting a game collection of value, or are looking to get the most bang for your buck, don't blindly go straight to a GameStop. Instead, look into smaller stores like Gamers or Video Games Etc. or "mom and pop" game stores. Many times their prices will be lower than GS just to try to remain competitive. They also have sales that make their prices even more competitive. Check in frequently because you never know when they'll start discounting games for a certain console.
Lastly, don't overlook the thrift shop. I have been fortunate enough to discover literally hundreds of dollars worth of games at thrift stores but only paid less than what I'd pay for a McDonald's value meal. Seriously, ask me about it sometime. I love retelling tales of my best game finds. Most of them don't take place at GameStop.
Monday, November 19, 2012
Introducing....Kelli!!!
*Video removed due to privacy concerns*
After filming this, I realized that I appear very condescending toward Kelli. Truth is, I love her very much and she's a great sport for even agreeing in my dumb little videos!The site mentioned in the video, in case you missed it, is www.RetroUSB.com. What they specialize in most are reproductions of Nintendo and Super Nintendo games that are either very extremely super crazy rare or were released in Japan but never in the US. I've got my eye on a copy of Super Mario Bros. 2j.
Monday, November 12, 2012
iHave an iSsue with this
I'm beginning to wonder if this is turning into an anti-Apple blog.
I hoped this wouldn't happen so soon. I actually had myself so convinced that it wouldn't happen that it stopped bothering me. I even brought myself to the point where I picked up my wife's Macbook Air to tinker around in Garageband. Let's back up a bit.
Sony's Playstation was released in 1995 ('94 in Japan). The Playstation 2 came out in 2000. The Playstation 3 in 2006. A little bit of first grade mental math suggests that Sony is pretty comfortable with a 5-6 year console lifespan. With that in mind, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to believe that the PS4 should be right around the corner, although Sony has expressed their desire for the PS3 to have a 10-year lifespan. That is beside the point.
The point that I'm trying to make is that as soon as a Playstation is put on store shelves, analysts and consumers are not going to immediately speculate about the gaming console's next iteration. Six years is a long time and it's impossible to tell what kind of hardware we'll have that far down the road. Cue the Apple rant:
The iPhone 5 came out on September 21, 2012. The image attached to this post is a screenshot which I took today which, near as I can determine, is the first article regarding the forthcoming iPhone on that particular news outlet. By my count, that was a whopping 52 days of whining about how the new connector doesn't work with the old alarm clock docking stations before building the hype over the new iBoughtTheSamePieceOfAluminumAndGlassAsLastYearBecauseIAmATool. Oh, did I just say that out loud?
Here's the issue: (time for slightly more analysis and slightly less rant) new iPhones - and new smartphones in general - coming out on a yearly basis is a problem. The mobile device market has become over saturated with infinite variations on the same theme. A new phone is created and released every instant the technology improves. What that gives us is something that is slightly better than what we had before. Think of the Playstation 1 (if you can remember). Imagine if Sony released the PS1.2 when they figured out how to make games load more quickly. Then the PS1.5 when they managed to squeeze in a couple more polygons to make the graphics a bit more shiny.
Instead, they waited until they had enough to truly wow their audience. For that, I am grateful. For Apple's approach, I am outraged. iPhone 5: 0.00002-inch larger screen, new controversial connection port, and new map app (which doesn't quite work as expected).
More to the story, due to the decreased lifespans of mobile devices, the price of said devices will not be cheap. Ever. Consider a brand new product: years of research and development have gone into the product and on launch day the price is the highest it will ever be. A year, year and a half down the road, the price begins to slide lower. Towards the end of the product's life, the cost is now a shadow of what it originally was. The reson for this is because the costs of R&D have been made up and the manufacturing processes have been streamlined. Churn out a new product well before the previous has been given a chance to begin to die and you lose those advantages. Anyway...
TL;DR - Chill out, Apple nuts. Don't obsess over the iPhone 6 or 5s or whatever they decide to call it. Just be content with your iPhone 5 and enjoy the feeling of pretending to be better than the rest of us.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
The long, cold, wintery wait
Kelli and I have been house hunting. We're to the point in our lives where we'd really like to buy a bigger house - a place to call our own - and settle down. Here's the great side of this story: we have found a house! It's a great 3-bedroom with a really large, finished walkout basement and a "ginormous" garage. We've agreed upon a price with the sellers and they're just about ready to hand over the keys.
Now here's the bad news: naturally Kelli and I don't want to be making two house payments, so we're not closing on the new house until my house is sold. Even worse: who goes house hunting or even buys in the winter? The way we look at it, we're stuck living in my small 1-bedroom house until spring. Now don't get me wrong, it's a great house and I like it a lot. I think the two of us are just ready to upgrade to someplace where we have a bit of room to stretch.
If you know of anyone who would be interested in a 1-bedroom house in Kalona, IA (just 15 miles from the south end of Iowa City!) give me a shout!
Now here's the bad news: naturally Kelli and I don't want to be making two house payments, so we're not closing on the new house until my house is sold. Even worse: who goes house hunting or even buys in the winter? The way we look at it, we're stuck living in my small 1-bedroom house until spring. Now don't get me wrong, it's a great house and I like it a lot. I think the two of us are just ready to upgrade to someplace where we have a bit of room to stretch.
If you know of anyone who would be interested in a 1-bedroom house in Kalona, IA (just 15 miles from the south end of Iowa City!) give me a shout!
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Wives are great for venting to
...and so, it seems, are blogs. The following is a rant from me to Kelli which was prompted by the slew of nonstop rumors and speculation regarding upcoming Apple products on tech/gadget websites such as Ubergizmo.
Dear freakishly obsessed people who are dying to eat up everything produced by that particular company: the iPhone 5 will look EXACTLY like the iPhone 4S with the following minor adjustments: The screen will be slightly larger but not enough to make any serious improvements in how you use your current phone; the charging/connector port will be reshaped/resized because Apple thinks that doing anything standardized means doing something WRONG and they want you to have to go out and buy new adapters and speaker docks which cost an out-of-this-world amount because they're specialized for this one device and thus haven't been mass produced like mini (or even micro) USB cables have; and lastly, the front-facing camera will shift half an inch from its previous location just to give freakishly obsessed fans something to talk about.
Furthermore, Ubergizmo posted an article last night titled, "iOS 6 and new iPhone plays your favorite song as an alarm". Is this something to get excited over? I've been doing this since owning my first smartphone, a BlackBerry Pearl, which I got around 4 years ago. The above-mentioned article concluded with the statement, "iOS 6 is certainly shaping up to be a mobile operating system not to be trifled with." Because I can finally wake up everyday to the bliss that is "Rock You Like a Hurricane"? Sorry Apple, I've been doing that for years.
Click here for an article that shares my sentiment on the suspected iPhone 5 design.
Dear freakishly obsessed people who are dying to eat up everything produced by that particular company: the iPhone 5 will look EXACTLY like the iPhone 4S with the following minor adjustments: The screen will be slightly larger but not enough to make any serious improvements in how you use your current phone; the charging/connector port will be reshaped/resized because Apple thinks that doing anything standardized means doing something WRONG and they want you to have to go out and buy new adapters and speaker docks which cost an out-of-this-world amount because they're specialized for this one device and thus haven't been mass produced like mini (or even micro) USB cables have; and lastly, the front-facing camera will shift half an inch from its previous location just to give freakishly obsessed fans something to talk about.
Furthermore, Ubergizmo posted an article last night titled, "iOS 6 and new iPhone plays your favorite song as an alarm". Is this something to get excited over? I've been doing this since owning my first smartphone, a BlackBerry Pearl, which I got around 4 years ago. The above-mentioned article concluded with the statement, "iOS 6 is certainly shaping up to be a mobile operating system not to be trifled with." Because I can finally wake up everyday to the bliss that is "Rock You Like a Hurricane"? Sorry Apple, I've been doing that for years.
Click here for an article that shares my sentiment on the suspected iPhone 5 design.
Friday, August 3, 2012
For those waiting for an update...
...this is it.
Where to begin? Since I haven't posted a single thing since November, there's a lot to run down.
First: because my previous post expressed my woes over not being able to play Portal 2, let me assure you that those feelings of sorrow have been laid to rest. I bought a brand new Xbox 360 last November and played through Portal 2. Twice.
Furthermore...
I'm married. June 2, the ceremony and reception were fantastic! It was a total blast!
Completely unrelated to the above mentioned, I've been trying to educate myself on technological matters. Using some internet assistance, I built a tiny half-watt audio amplifier out of Radio Shack components. I've also gotten back into computer programming to a small degree. My hope is to really dive deep into both fields as they're both subjects that I find interesting.
Lastly, I'm trying to get in shape by running. In mid-July I even entered myself in a 4-mile race, placing 56th in the "Clydesdales" division. At 48 minutes even, it was easily the fastest I have ever ran 4 miles.
If you're reading this, post a comment to let me know you're still alive!
Where to begin? Since I haven't posted a single thing since November, there's a lot to run down.
First: because my previous post expressed my woes over not being able to play Portal 2, let me assure you that those feelings of sorrow have been laid to rest. I bought a brand new Xbox 360 last November and played through Portal 2. Twice.
Furthermore...
I'm married. June 2, the ceremony and reception were fantastic! It was a total blast!
Completely unrelated to the above mentioned, I've been trying to educate myself on technological matters. Using some internet assistance, I built a tiny half-watt audio amplifier out of Radio Shack components. I've also gotten back into computer programming to a small degree. My hope is to really dive deep into both fields as they're both subjects that I find interesting.
Lastly, I'm trying to get in shape by running. In mid-July I even entered myself in a 4-mile race, placing 56th in the "Clydesdales" division. At 48 minutes even, it was easily the fastest I have ever ran 4 miles.
If you're reading this, post a comment to let me know you're still alive!
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