When I think back to the history of Apple I look to none other then Oregon Trail. What stood out about Oregon Trail was that we were playing a video game in school. Whenever we would finish our keyboarding exercises we were treated to a rousing diskette based experience that rivaled even kickball for the best thing we got to do at school.

Now as we flash forward a decade Apple has become synonymous for it’s chic design philosophy and pension for quality. With the move to Intel processors, Apple has shed its monopolistic style to business even allowing, and supporting programs that allow for multiple operating systems (including Windows) to be installed. For around two years my current PC has actually been a Macbook Pro, and I couldn’t be happier. I get the best of both worlds, a stable Operating System and the ability to use a PC for its intended purpose…..Games.

With the release of the 3G iPhone and the launch of the application store in July, as well as an uncharacteristic release of the iPhone development tool; Apple may be preparing for its own entry into the handheld, and perhaps console war?

Apple is placed in a very precarious position, they have a very successful product in the iPod, yet they still have yet (more…)

It’s impossible to deny that a prototype for an Xbox 360 with an HDMI port exists. Pictures and video of the Xbox 360 v2 (codename Zephyr) have been circulating for a couple of days now, yet Microsoft still refuses to make a public statement, and I have a theory about why. I see a price drop coming for the 360. They’ve already dropped production costs far enough that they’re making a profit on the 360. I suspect That in March of this year (you know, when the PS3 launches in Europe) we’ll see a price drop on the premium and core Xbox 360’s, as well as the launch of the Xbox 360 v2. The price will most likely be cut by $50 usd, making the core system $250 (competition for the Wii) and the premium $350. This leaves room for the new 360 to clock in at $450 - $100 more than the premium unit, which is pretty reasonable for an HDMI port and a 120 gb hard drive - and it’s still cheaper than a PS3.

The motivation behind this move would be to put just a little more pressure on Sony when they make their European debut.

Bear in mind this is all speculation, and only time will tell for sure.

-MIKE KURZ

I make a lot of predictions verbally that end up being true, so I’ve decided to start writing them here, so that in the event that I’m correct, I can go back and give everyone else a big “I told you so!”

My Wii prediction is that we’ll see a price drop on the Wii (probably down to $199.99 USD) just in time for the holiday season in 2007. This price drop will likely coincide with the introduction of the DVD capable Wii, which will most likely come in at the $250 price point. I know Nintendo has said otherwise, but I suspect that was all marketing - why would we buy this Wii when a better one is coming down the line?

This seems plausible - just look at their handheld strategy. We got the Gameboy. Then we got the different colored Gameboys. Then we got Gameboy pocket, followed by Gameboy Color, and then Gameboy Advance. If that weren’t enough, the Gameboy Advance SP wasn’t far behind. The only one of those to actually effect gameplay was the jump from Gameboy Color to GBA. My prediction is that they’ll try and migrate that strategy to the living room with the Wii.