Skip to main content

Is the Philippines ready for the Next-Gen?

Whether Sony likes it or not, the next generation of video gaming has arrived with the XBOX 360. The XBOX 360 officialy launched in the United States last Nov 22 and what a week it was.

It was a week marred with exceedingly high demand, shortages, eBay price gauging, harrowing reports of system defects fueled by some fanboy trolls, sarcastic media and so much more. But is it stopping the XBOX 360? Not at all! In fact the demand appears to be greater than what it used to be given some negative publicity that the console has been receiving.

But going back to the original question, is the Philippines ready for Next-Gen?

For the majority of the Filipinos, my answer is no. I’ll be honest, much of the Philippine gaming market thrives on cheap pre-paid schemes as popularized by localized Korean MMORPGs and the ever-so-popular piracy problem that has been plaguing the country ever since the dawn of gaming.

A local game store in Greenhills, when asked when they would be stocking the XBOX 360, the default answer is next year. How can that be considering it’s the best time to sell these mean machines on the onset of the most popular spending season, Christmas? The most obvious answer will be due to the actual console shortages in the United States. Personally, I feel that most retailers won’t bother carrying the console if doesn’t have a mod-chip and have pirated games since majority of Filipino game retailers only carry pirated software. Of course, most retailers are still stuck trying to sell their overstocked PSPs to the point that ‘installing PSP games on your memory chip’ has been the new lucrative business to many game shops.

If those reasons are true it’s disappointing to a small group of people who are very much interested in the console. But then there is an oddity in the Philippine gaming market that manages to survive by carrying only original games and unmodified systems, despite the overwhelming competition of pirated games.

And just 4 days after the North American launch, the first batch of XBOX 360 titles, fresh from Mexico, has arrived in the Philippines!

The store carried nearly all of the XBOX 360 launch games. But please note, as of writing most of the games are already out-of-stock and has been purchased by overzealous gamers such as myself and scytherage.

This store has guaranteed those who are interested that they will be getting the console sometime soon. Of course, supplies will be severely limited but to the early adopters like me, we are certainly ready to purchase the console. Of course, it helps that I saved money for this thing ever since it was announced in E3.

So is the Philippines ready for the Next-Gen?

Many will still be stuck playing on their modded consoles or hoping that the PS3 will come here and sell for something less than P10,000 (of course to some people that may still be expensive). But for those who are lucky and those who have truly waited…THE NEXT GENERATION OF CONSOLE GAMING SHALL COME TO THIS COUNTRY PRETTY SOON! Hopefully before Christmas, as it serves as the best gift to gamers!

Popular posts from this blog

More on PS3 Hardware Failures: AICN's Moriarty Hit By BDL

Earlier I posted about how the PS3 is no less susceptible to hardware problems. The issue was dubbed the 'BDL' (Blu-Ray Disc Laser problem) over on Pinoyxbox by the multi-console users in the community. You'd find a lot more information about this by searching for error 80010514 and 80029906. That said, I saw this post on AICN from Moriarty ....apparently he also got hit by the BDL problem. He had the console repaired by Sony, and when he got his replacement, he was hit by another problem: he encountered an issue while updating his PS3, causing his system to get bricked. So now he's had two broken PS3s in a row, and the system has lost his recommendation as a blu-ray player system of choice for consumers: "Regarding Moriarty’s Awesome Non-Stop Blu-Ray Coverage... Or Lack Thereof! Dear Sony... Y’know, some days it doesn’t pay to be a movie fan. I’ve done tons of DVD coverage over the years here at AICN, and it’s funny... I’ve heard some people actually say, “But yo

Gamers based in the Philippines: How to get in Xbox Live

NOTE: This article has recently been updated (as of August 12, 2006). Singapore no longer lets you input '00000' as your zip code. Please see below for alternate zip codes. So you're a Filipino living in the Philippines with a brand-spanking new Xbox 360. You've heard about all the wonderful stories on Xbox Live. You happen to have a pretty good broadband connection. One day, you try out the Xbox Live sign-up options on your 360, and you find out to your dismay that your country is NOT listed. What do you do? Now, you can probably enjoy your 360 without live at all, but I have to tell you: YOU ARE MISSING OUT. As Peter Moore said in the recent MS Press Conference: "Having your 360 connected to Xbox Live is as vital as having your computer connected to the Internet". He is so damned right. I've been playing on Xbox Live for almost a year now (both on my original Xbox and the Xbox 360). Essentially I found out all of this with a little bit of research, a lit

Lost Odyssey Theme Song - "What You Are" by Sheena Easton

I've uploaded the theme song for Lost Odyssey in YouTube. Check out the video below: At first, I wasn't so into the song but when I heard it in full it grows on you. The song is actually quite beautiful. It was sung by Sheena Easton. With the lyrics from Hironobu Sakaguchi and the composition by Nobuo Uematsu. Very moving song, specially once you understand the lyrics. Below are the lyrics for the song "What You Are" by Sheena Easton When you touch me It feels just like a dream With the warmth that's in your eyes When you look at me I hear your voice beside me It whispers to me I can't hide how it makes me feel The shyness you see I may never Understand how deep it goes But I know how I feel What I hold deep in my heart There's just no way to stop this It's hopeless but true I feel this love More than anything So what more can I do You know I thought I would be much stronger than I am But then I feel the boldness that's inside my heart Just melt aw