From free to fee, Belmont dumps Mahalo Daily for PS3 video gigvideo, blogs and podcasting, gaming — by TDavid @ 8:32 am PST
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Being a videoblog/podcast host is a transitory profession. Don’t sign any long leases.
Remember Amanda Congdon who had a popular gig at Rocketboom and then went onto presumably bigger, better things at ABC, only to last less than a year. Enter example two, Veronica Belmont, the initial video host of Jason Calacanis’ current video brainchild: Mahalo Daily. Belmont ditched Mahalo Daily awhile back and is starting June 5 as the new videoblog host for Qore, a paid subscription-based videoblog show which sounds to me like paying to watch commercials for games on the Sony Playstaton 3.
In fairness, let’s review what the official PS3 blog says will be part of the Qore subscription:
Qore has been developed to give PS3 users early access to game related content at a level of quality, interactivity and depth. Everything is filmed in HD. Qore will feature exclusive news, developer interviews, in-depth game previews and behind-the-scenes looks at PlayStation games and special access to game demos, special beta invitations, game add-ons and other downloadable game-related content.
Calacanis was smart enough not to charge viewers for his paid advertorial for Mahalo, what is Sony smoking? Why are they are charging for “special access” to game demos? Some commenters on the PS3 blog post are rightfully complaining while at least one commenter says this is in line with print game magazines which charge too much for information you can usually find on the web already. Nevermind that many of these print game mags are struggling to stay afloat. This is 2008, not 1998.
Shooting the video in all HD is smart and the game add-on part might be worth paying for if they are giving away songs to games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero but my guess is most of these add-ons will be lame things like different characters or backgrounds. Yeah, yeah, maybe it will be only [sarcasm] $24.99 a year for a Qore subscription of 13 episodes, but I’m skeptical that it will be worth $2.99 (single episode price) per episode. For Sony’s and fellow gamer’s sake I hope I’m wrong. I will happily buy in if they put some good exclusive add-on content in there.
Let me throw Sony a bone. Get us access to HOME — for free. Quit delaying and give us more games in the Playstation store. I’ve only been saying this since launch day and doubt any gamers will disagree. Sony could have bought Atari (ATAR stock had been floundering) dirt cheap and put all of their games in the PlayStation store and didn’t do it. No, instead they want to charge us for the privilege of being teased about some bright gaming future (Look at what’s coming in months … years). Advice to Belmont: don’t put all your eggs in the Qore basket. As popular as the Wii is (where can one buy Wii Fit at anyway? Sold out everywhere), she would have been better doing a Nintendo Wii show — perhaps an exercise show to go along with Wii Fit — that was offered for the special price of — drumroll please — free. Strike that, horny gamers would pay $2.99 to see a good looking girl doing Wii Fit workouts.
Come on, Sony. Really.
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Nintendo sort of has a show. It’s that Nintendo Channel. They do mainly trailers, but there’s some interviews and such. They could definitely expand on it. It is free, and it’s basically just video streaming. I did watch a couple of them, and was fairly impressed with it. It’s like a Youtube channel, but only of Nintendo stuff.
But you’re right. F-R-E-E is the word to spell these days for this stuff.
Comment by darkmoon — June 3, 2008 @ 9:10 am PST
You do know, I assume, that I host a weekly 40-minute long FREE technology show, along with 5 (FREE!) daily shows at Revision3? Tekzilla has been my job as well for the past 2 months, so while I appreciate your point of view about Sony, your title is inaccurate.
Best,
Veronica
Comment by veronica — June 3, 2008 @ 9:19 am PST
What about the title is inaccurate, Veronica? That you dumped Mahalo Daily for … Tekzilla and PS3 video gig? Or just the missing Tekzilla part? Or are you disputing that you “dumped” Mahalo Daily period?
Comment by TDavid — June 3, 2008 @ 9:22 am PST
I don’t think I “dumped” them… there was no crying or ceremonious ice cream eating afterward. Yes, you missed the Tekzilla part entirely, which I find especially interesting considering you tell me to “not put all of my eggs in one basket.” The eggs are nicely distributed, thank you.
As for the paying part, I have no say or control over the business side of things, but considering I threw down more than $2.99 last week for Lemmings at the Playstation Store, I don’t think it’s too insane to pay the same for 40 minutes of original video content that comes bundled with exclusive demos and betas. But hey! No one is making anyone pay either. It’s opt-in.
V
Comment by veronica — June 3, 2008 @ 9:28 am PST
Hmm, I don’t know, Jason seemed a little surprised in his initial post about you leaving on calacanis.com, Veronica, but I appreciate your correction there, thank you.
Might want to re-read above because I didn’t say anywhere not to put all your eggs in *one* basket. I said not to put them in the “Qore basket” which IMO is going to end up, regretfully, a failure. Respectfully, Sony is a much bigger gig than Mahalo Daily, your Revision3 show or even Tekzilla which was the primary point. Maybe financially it’s not (none of my business, so please don’t answer that), but from a hosting career perspective you don’t think it is?
And Lemmings has been out since the launch of the Playstation Store, just curious, what took so long? I’d think you’d be into the new Rock Band stuff (no?) I’m happy to update the post above BTW and link out to your other vcasts, provide the best links in a response and I’ll move them up
Comment by TDavid — June 3, 2008 @ 9:49 am PST