According to their press coverage, the WoW Pod has been on almost every single tech news site that exists. Yet somehow, I haven’t heard of it. Either the Internet has failed me, or I’ve been playing too much WoW to read the news.

According to their webpage:

Inside, the gamer finds him/herself comfortable seated in front of the computer screen with easy-to-reach water, pre-packaged food, and a toilet conveniently placed underneath his/her custom-built throne.

When hungry, the gamer selects a food item (‘Crunchy Spider Surprise’, ‘Beer Basted Ribs’, etc.) and a seasoning pack. By scanning in the food items, the video game physically adjusts a hot plate to cook the item for the correct amount of time. The virtual character then jubilantly announces the status of the meal to both the gamer and the other individuals playing online: “Vorcon’s meal is about to be done!” “Better eat the ribs while they’re hot!” etc.

But…. would you use it? Would I use it? I think it could be an interesting experiment to try for a few days, but I’m pretty sure Ryan wouldn’t let me have one at home (I’m at the computer enough as it is).

The WoW Pod, created at MIT, will be on display until September 2009. Hopefully I’ll get out to the Boston area to see it!

I was listening to the gdgt roundtable this morning, and they started talking about the iPhone / iPod Touch as a gaming device. Josh Topolsky insisted that Apple was trying to drink Sony and Nintendo’s milkshakes, while Ryan said that Apple is just going for the “value add” of having games.

This got me thinking about my iPhone and the experiences I’ve had using it as a handheld gaming device, especially compared with the Nintendo DS and the PSP. Granted, gaming on my phone has not been my number one priority, but I’ve download a few decent ones: Spore Origins, Tris (which I believe is now unavailable) and Tap Tap Revenge. But at the end of the day, was it more fun for me to play games on my iPhone than if I’d brought along the DS or PSP? Well, no, not especially. Was it more convenient to not have to carry a second device? Of course. Yet the overall experience quality is still going to be better on a standalone gaming platform. I just wonder if people really care all that much about having the absolute best experience… maybe they just don’t need it.

This brings me to another point on the podcast: do mainstream users really care about the nit-pickings of technologists when it comes to their buying decisions? Yes, there can definitely be a trickle effect of opinion that can sway people (“Oh, I’ve heard this phone is very buggy, I’m going to wait for the next version”). But what about mainstream gamers? Are games on the iPod/iPhone ever going to effect the number of handheld devices being purchased, and the amount they’re used? Is it just a nice added benefit to the phone, or a major selling point?

Developers are cranking out some beautiful looking games for the App Store, and I’m sure they’re enjoying the direct-to-buyer system (that is, if their app makes it through the approval process), but I wonder what other frequent gamers are thinking.

Do you think people will eventually buy the iPod or iPhone with the primary function of being their gaming device?

Image courtesy of Apple.com

I saw the following video yesterday on Joystiq, in which rapper Soulja Boy does his damnedest to explain the brilliant game Braid to his YouTube audience. But then today I was talking to Josh, and he said something even more brilliant: “He is the next Yahtzee.”

Let’s compare (and btw, neither of these videos are particularly safe for work):

Yahtzee of Zero Punctuation:

So, is Soulja Boy the new liaison for gamers to the mainstream world*? Discuss.

*Wouldn’t that be hilarious?

Many gamers out there are waiting (somewhat) patiently for Spore to launch this September 7th for North Americans. In the meantime, Electronics Arts has passed out a copy of Spore’s Creature Creator (arguably the most anticipated aspect of the game) to fifty people for a little thing they’re calling the “Sporelebrity Contest.”

How does it work? Each person creates a creature of their very own, and then the adorable (or hideous, depending on your tastes) creatures will be voted on by the Internet. The most-beloved monstrosity wins $15,000 for a charity of the creator’s choice!

I’m really excited to be a part of the competition, and I look forward to destroying Kevin Rose and Scott Beale when the voting opens! There will be some other exciting competitors too (actual famous people!!) so I’ll update you all when EA has everything set up. My charity is going to be the James Kim Technology Foundation.

The Creature Creator itself is extremely intuitive. Within five minutes I had a creature up and running (see Bugnose below, who didn’t make the cut as my final entrant into the contest).

Here’s Coodoodle, who you’ll be hopefully voting for! She shoots poison from her rear end, so be careful.

I’ll be uploading photos here as I play with it more!