Rockstar Games cheap on Steam

Need something to play this weekend? Need it on the cheap? If you're on board with this whole digital distribution through Steam thing, some classic and not-so-classic Rockstar Games titles are being sold at bargain basement prices. Ten bucks for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas? Five for Manhunt? You could do a hell of a lot worse. The entire Rockstar Games Collection is just $29.99 in U.S. dollars, making corruption by video game violence a steal.

Game companies try to scuttle Iron Man

This weekend may offer just what the gaming doctor ordered. Just in case you didn't go ahead and get Grand Theft Auto 4, you can try out one of the most popular multiplayer games around. Valve is letting everyone try Team Fortress 2 this weekend free!!! All you have to do is install Steam, which is pretty handy anyway and play this weekend for free!!!!

It seems the gaming industry has a problem with geeks going to see Iron Man this weekend. First GTA comes out, now this? What's next, double experience on World of Warcraft??? Can you imagine the chaos that would cause!!!

In-Store Movie Downloading Kiosks Coming To Blockbuster

I know that this seems to be "beat up on Blockbuster" week, but they're providing all the ammo needed. This time with the announcement of their 'In-Store downloading Kiosks', that will be installed in all of there Brick and Mortar stores. The idea is that you can bring in your portable media player, plug-in and download a movie. The only problem with it is that most people already have something like that at home, it's called a computer.

Why would anyone get up out of the comfort of their home to drive to Blockbuster, just to download a movie on an ipod? Most of those features are available on the Internet, so what would be the point? If I walk into Blockbuster, why wouldn't I just get a dvd to watch a movie on a larger screen than an ipod? It seems that whom ever is making the decisions at Blockbuster really doesn't get it, or possibly could be completely out of touch with what the consumer wants.

If this is really part of their big "revival" plan, they might be gone sooner than even I thought.

[Gizmodo]

Nine Inch Nails Dumps Record Labels, Going Direct to Fans

I thought this was an interesting article from Gizmodo:

"Hear that? It's the RIAA quaking in their diamond-coated boots as yet another A-list band gives labels the finger: Pretty hate machine Trent Reznor announced today that "as of right now Nine Inch Nails is a totally free agent, free of any recording contract with any label." Instead of futzing through the hapless middleman of an inept label, Trent's promising "a direct relationship with the audience as I see fit and appropriate," so we can expect more experiments in direct distribution and promotion, probably culminating in an album release not unlike Radiohead's In Rainbows.

If two of the biggest acts in the industry can see the digital writing on the wall and totally embrace it—that the old way of doing business is broken—why can't the labels? What Radiohead and NIN are showing is that the business model "of the future" feared by entrenched interests isn't arriving some time in the horizon. It's touching down now. [NIN, Flickr]"

I truly hope that this is the start of something new and better.