Monday, October 09, 2006
I tried to buy a world
I definately wanted to check out the Nintendo World Store while in New York, so we wandered over there a few nights ago. It's actually tucked away on a sidestreet (like most things in Manhattan), but it's a decently classy place (unlike most things in Manhattan).
It vaguely reminded me of their setup at E3, except the Wii wasn't anywhere to be found outside of a looping promo video.
It is very....Nintendo though, and even with all of the kitschy shirts and underwear for sale there's a nostalgic sincerity behind it all.
There's also some cool swag to leer at:
Wicked cool golden Zelda GBA signed by Miyamoto.
A bunch of sassy designer DSses that would most likely tear your hands to bloody shreds for your $400.
GBA fight, anyone?
A freakshow veteran GB that got wounded in the Gulf War, but can still run a mean game of Tetris.
And me, in all my hoodied, feather-haired beauty.
Crosstown the day after, I visited the Sony Wonder Technology Lab, a disgustingly out-of-date collection of interactive learning expriences people in 1989 might have found mildly cutting-edge. To be fair to them, it is free and it's target audience is about 9 years old, but that doesn't mean they have to be trumpeting the marvels of HDTV, which will "revolutionize living rooms in the year 2002, with sets spanning fifteen feet across that cost upwards of $175,000."* *Not an actual quote
The highlight of that particular experience was being attacked by the second-largest Spider-Man I'd ever seen.
Actually, I take that back. After bitching the whole time about them not having even a mention of the PS3, we stumbled into a room showcasing Sly Cooper, The Getaway, and Some Jetski Game on a triplet of PS2s, with PS1 videos rolling above. I asked the sole nearby employee whether they would get PS3s in at some point, almost giggling at the absurdity of my own question. "Not before the public does." Fair enough, though not what I asked. I followed up with "Maybe the theater [where we saw the HDTV presentation] will change over to Blu-Ray then?" He casually, confidently responsed with "Well, HD is better than Blu-Ray." Maybe he was thinking of those little red toys that rotate a circle of still pictures when light shines through and you click the button, when I said Blu-Ray. Or maybe he's a stone cold moron. That was the highlight. Sorry Spidey.
It vaguely reminded me of their setup at E3, except the Wii wasn't anywhere to be found outside of a looping promo video.
It is very....Nintendo though, and even with all of the kitschy shirts and underwear for sale there's a nostalgic sincerity behind it all.
There's also some cool swag to leer at:
Crosstown the day after, I visited the Sony Wonder Technology Lab, a disgustingly out-of-date collection of interactive learning expriences people in 1989 might have found mildly cutting-edge. To be fair to them, it is free and it's target audience is about 9 years old, but that doesn't mean they have to be trumpeting the marvels of HDTV, which will "revolutionize living rooms in the year 2002, with sets spanning fifteen feet across that cost upwards of $175,000."* *Not an actual quote
The highlight of that particular experience was being attacked by the second-largest Spider-Man I'd ever seen.
Actually, I take that back. After bitching the whole time about them not having even a mention of the PS3, we stumbled into a room showcasing Sly Cooper, The Getaway, and Some Jetski Game on a triplet of PS2s, with PS1 videos rolling above. I asked the sole nearby employee whether they would get PS3s in at some point, almost giggling at the absurdity of my own question. "Not before the public does." Fair enough, though not what I asked. I followed up with "Maybe the theater [where we saw the HDTV presentation] will change over to Blu-Ray then?" He casually, confidently responsed with "Well, HD is better than Blu-Ray." Maybe he was thinking of those little red toys that rotate a circle of still pictures when light shines through and you click the button, when I said Blu-Ray. Or maybe he's a stone cold moron. That was the highlight. Sorry Spidey.
// posted by Nick @ 8:07 PM 
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