Trump Taj Mahal: 1990-2016

We all saw this one coming. Once the largest casino in the world, and the top-grossing casino in Atlantic City, the Trump Taj Mahal (affectionately referred to by many as ‘the Taj’) will deal its last hand before this year ends.

Of the dozens of casinos to grace Las Vegas East, none of them have had such a turbulent life as the Taj Mahal. Sure casinos have come and gone (Atlantis, Claridge), changed their names and ownership (Atlantic Club, Golden Nugget), and have either been imploded (Sands) or left to rot (Revel). But the Taj Mahal was dragged in the dirt the longest, kicking and screaming the whole way, and soon its tortuous ride will be over.

Controversy has mired the Taj from the very beginning. It was originally conceived as a complement to the neighboring Resorts Hotel and Casino, but hit roadblocks surrounding construction costs and general ownership. A nasty legal battle ensued, and long story short, Donald Trump stepped in, purchasing Taj from Resorts and finished the job, christening his new property as the Trump Taj Mahal. (An obscure reference found to this day of the casino’s change of hands is found in a sign above the valet entrance, reading: Donald Trump Presents the Taj Mahal.)

'Resorts Taj Mahal' under construction. Note the distinct lack of Trump.

After a lavish grand opening, the Taj Mahal faced some bankruptcy scares behind the scenes, but otherwise projected itself as top dog in Atlantic City. The 90s and early 00s bid well on the Taj Mahal, but Borgata quickly snatched Taj’s crown after opening in 2003, and has proudly worn it ever since. Still, the resort continued to do decently, even adding a second hotel tower in 2006. Come the end of the decade, however, the combination of Trump himself leaving the casino industry and the Great Recession left the Taj’s owners in a challenging position. Trump Entertainment Resorts, the parent company with its connection to Trump in name only, continued to mismanage, lose money, and choose not to re-invest in its three Trump-branded properties in Atlantic City. Trump Marina (née Castle) was sold and renamed to Golden Nugget (now a flourishing resort under its new management), Trump Plaza met a bitter and embarrassing demise in the fall of 2014, and Trump Taj Mahal was actually expected to follow suit later that year, citing a November closing date and then two different December dates.

Ever since its founder’s exit, Trump Entertainment Resorts struggled for years with the local worker’s unions, particularly with Local 54 (aka UNITE HERE!). Now it may be hard for millennials (such as myself) to picture this in today’s job landscape, but even as little as 20 years ago, a position at a major company was designed to set the worker up for life. They would spend 30, 40, even 50 years at this single company (usually in the same exact position), which in return would pay them well, provide adequate insurance benefits, and even <gasp> award you with a pension post-retirement. (Or if the company didn’t do this, they would at least play nice with the worker’s unions that did.) Today in this age of volatile career tracts, Obamacare, and 401(k)s, these job perks are the things of fairy tales, but to a young or even middle-aged worker who landed a job at the hottest new casino in Atlantic City in 1990, these were expected and cherished benefits that would see them through to a retirement in the 2030s. Unfortunately for everyone, these times have definitely changed. With the passing of the Affordable Care Act, a cash-strapped TER decided to slash the benefits of all its employees, whether they had worked there for a few weeks or a few decades. This was understandably the straw that broke the union’s back, and initiated very hostile relations between Taj’s management and the union. Unlike the employees of Trump Plaza who literally had the rug pulled from under them, Taj workers could either accept TER’s new rules (forcing already underpaid workers to accept Obamacare at the expense of their own wallets) or Taj would close as well. 

 

December 2014, days before Taj's intended demise. Not a soul to be seen.

No deal seemed to be made and the casino was gearing up to close just before the Christmas of 2014. They had received the OK to terminate operations from the city and casino commission, and closed one of the hotel towers and prestigious poker room. I decided to book a night on their last Tuesday in operation, and took all the pictures you see from that time. It was depressing and almost pathetic, and I can’t imagine it looking much different than this soon. The resort had essentially run out of money, and all that was left was for the final hands to be dealt, but miraculously in literally the 11th hour… billionaire investor Carl Icahn took on the Taj’s monstrous debt and wealth of issues. The Taj was not going to close! Quite the opposite in fact, with this influx of new money and ownership, the Taj Mahal was going to rise from its ashes!

Oh yeah, this is reassuring.

2015 was an awkward year for the Taj Mahal. A wealth of bad press and mixed messages left the resort in a confused state to the general public: is it open or not? If it isn’t, then why are its lights still on? If it is, why when I type in “Trump Taj Mahal” in Google it finishes the search with “closing”? I thought I saw in the news it was having trouble… Oh but I saw they struck a deal… Wait, Trump is running for president?! …needless to say, nobody was quite sure what was going on, not even the Taj itself. Its occupancy rates and casino earnings were still very disappointing, and the resort itself was still sparsely populated with employees or guests. Local 54 continued to go on its offensive against the management, going so far as projecting “BOYCOTT TAJ” from a spotlight onto the stark white walls of the casino’s parking garage. The Taj Mahal was on life support and nobody seemed to want to be there. The only thing keeping the place from financially collapsing on itself was the ‘donation’ of Icahn’s investment: literally money that fell from the sky.

Then came the burned-out letters.

Summer 2015. The sign has devolved to random slashes.

It’s a bit of an inside joke that the Atlantic City skyline is dominated by casino towers adorned by their property names in bright, red letters. With the exception of Revel, nearly every hotel or casino on the boardwalk proudly proclaims its name the same exact way. “SHOWBOAT.” “BALLYS.” (sic) “C  A  E  S  A  R  S.” “TROPICANA.” The non-casino Atlantic Palace recently updated its signage and intentionally uses blue lettering, self-admitting it wants to stand apart from its peers. The Trump Taj Mahal is absolutely one of those peers, and spells out several “TRUMP”s and “TAJ MAHAL”s in bold red from all four cardinal directions. These signs are essentially red plastic letters backlit by fluorescent tubes, and we all know how fluorescent lights like to buzz and go dim. A good assessment of how a casino in Atlantic City is doing is comically by looking at its signs, as mutilated letters at night show a lack of upkeep and concern. The media had a field day when Trump Plaza closed, as one of its marquees read ashamedly as “_U___ _LAZA.” I once had the misfortune of staying at Bally’s one night with half of its B burned out, effectively reading as “LALLYS.” But these lettering gaffes are swiftly handled, and within a day that B burned bright and majestic (at the expense of the compared dimness of its other letters, but I digress).

The Taj’s letters started to go out that year, one by one, section by section, and apparently Icahn’s money couldn’t quite stretch to bulb maintenance. The Taj Mahal’s already cryptic font choice led to combinations of chiaroscuro that translated to an alien language. “Honey, would you like to stay at the Trump, uh… ToJ M/h^I? Hmm, me either. I wonder if they’re even open, didn’t you read somewhere that…?” And unlike the occasional “SH_WBOAT”s and “LALLYS,” these bulbs remained dead for much longer, if not permanently. It was a darkly humorous yet embarrassing omen for the Taj Mahal as it entered its next year.

2016 started out promising, with Tropicana offering to take it off Icahn’s hands for him. The Tropicana (ironically the southernmost open casino on the boardwalk, Taj is the northernmost) had hit a slump years before, but re-invested and bounced back with a vengeance, and is arguably the most successful and most diverse boardwalk casino in Atlantic City. With Tropicana’s new ownership came the many possibilities of the Taj riding its wave, perhaps merging their loyalty programs, or getting extra revenue to put toward Taj’s upkeep. Casino earnings at the Taj on some months actually rose from the year before, showing promise of a new era. The Taj also started booking more and more high-profile celebrities and venues, and presented itself as a more confident resort than it was the year before. We’re here, we’ve always been open, and we mean business. “Excitement Returns!” There were even signs of possible rebranding, as the Trump name (which TER fought to retain and even paid for when they were already strapped for cash) has been slowly diminishing on official correspondences, and the simple name “TAJ MAHAL” is used in big, branding-type lettering, at a jaunty angle to boot. The first major victory for the unofficially ‘new’ Taj Mahal was the reopening of its poker room. Taj Poker had always had a cult following, even in the resort’s darkest times, so its “Return” earlier this year was much appreciated. Dining “Returned” with the re-opening of the Taj’s signature casino buffet, the Sultan’s Feast. And just mere weeks ago, the Taj was home to a successful Guinness World Record acrobatic attempt, further ushering the “Return” of action and excitement.

What unfortunately didn’t “Return” were the pensions and insurance benefits of its maligned employees.

Local 54 chose to wait in the wings, noticing that the Taj Mahal was setting up for a rebound in services, popularity, and liquid assets. But when it seemed like things from the benefits standpoint were not going to change, the union started an all-out assault. They threatened to strike at five different casinos in Atlantic City starting on July 4, as these benefit dissents were spread all over the town. No doubt going on strike during the city’s busiest weekend would put their discourse in the public eye. On their radar were Tropicana, Caesars, Bally’s, and Harrah’s, just to start. And Taj, oh their old friend the Taj, they had a very special place on their attack list. The first four casinos managed to eke by with compromises that both sides agreed on, and were ultimately spared from the strike. But poor Taj, literally poor Taj, they just couldn’t come to terms, at least not yet. They were too busy trying to have “Guests Return,” “Gamblers Return,” and above all “Maintenance and Fixed Letters Return” than to play the union game. As the fall of 2014 repeated itself, compromising deals were not made and the union started their strike.

To this day, the strike is still ongoing, soon to become one of the longest strikes the city has ever seen. Picketers could be found every hour of the day from July till now, protesting the Taj Mahal and all in charge of it. Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton took advantage of the truly bizarre coincidences and delivered rally speeches in front of the shuttered Trump Plaza, demonizing her opponent whose name is still visible in the labelscars left behind, and also met with strikers up the boardwalk. Ironically the properties prospered the most with Trump actually in control of them, and it’s only because of these subsidiary companies in charge that things deteriorated so badly. Of course, no one will ever realize this, and many of the ones that do will still choose not to believe it.

Credit where it's due: this is a very shrewd choice of backdrop.

As this strike was started to bring about change, today it brought the worst possible kind. Tropicana announced that the strike has bled out the Taj Mahal for the last time, and this now-once-again broke resort will become another boardwalk casualty. Considering this is now the fourth times the Taj Mahal has threatened to close its doors, one can’t help but raise a skeptical eyebrow. Some may almost taunt the Taj, saying “go ahead, do it! I dare you.” But this time it feels definitive. The battered property had been thrown lifelines since before it even opened: first by Trump, then his bankruptcy lawyers (lol), then by Icahn, and finally by Tropicana. The Taj is practically cursed, probably by its very name alone, as the real Taj Mahal in India is essentially a giant tomb. 

How many times do you rehabilitate a drug addict before they eventually relapse yet again? Likewise, how many times do you pump money into a giant resort that has always slipped from its footing? Perhaps it’s finally time to let the Taj die. In many ways it is the symbol of Atlantic City’s pure casino era (1978-2007): excessive, overdone, and ultimately full of hot air. With AC being forced into a more diverse direction, these flaws of the past need to be able to be restarted. The Taj takes up an enormous footprint of beachfront land (and no, it’s not just the footprints of its blanched white elephants), and land like that (not saddled with deed restrictions) could be the base for a wealth of new growth. Imagine the new developments of the Hoboken riverfront transplanted onto the Atlantic City boardwalk, and all the good business and people they would bring. New hope, new money, new ideas, and no struggling with the previous tenants of gold sheathed minarets and burned out red letters. If Atlantic City really wants to change, this changing of the guards is exactly where it will start.

Good bye, Trump Taj Mahal. It’s been fun, and I’ve made many memories (and money) with you. But it’s okay for you to go. Your legacy will usher in a better Atlantic City for us all. You’re showing a 20 but we have 21.

Blackjack.

Off the AC Expressway just after Plaza's closure. 

Forgotten Gaming- Sonic CD

Developer- Sega/Sonic Team

Original Platform- Sega CD

Ported To- PC, GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, iOS, Android

Originally Released- Fall 1993

Sonic the Hedgehog made his debut in 1991 and took the world by storm. His success gave the Sega Genesis a rightful place on the world stage and seriously threatened Nintendo’s dominance on the home console market. However Sonic was far from a one-hit wonder, and sequels were immediately put in the pipeline. Back in the early 1990s, Sega was a notoriously fractured company between its Japanese and American divisions, with America’s fast ideas and aggression contrasting Japan’s more methodical, chess-like business practices.

How fitting, then, that their Sonic sequels reflect those ideologies to a T.

Sega of America was given the reins of Sonic 2, a direct sequel for the Sega Genesis featuring more speed and more action than the original game. At first this may come off as a suspicious gift from Sega of Japan (letting their fair-weather partners get the numbered sequel), but Japan had a trick up its sleeve. They would instead work on a Sonic game for their newest, most advanced hardware darling: the Sega CD add-on. America was given the mainstream vapidity while Japan was able to redefine the potential of what a Sonic game could be, coupled with cutting-edge technology.

America got the last laugh, as Sonic 2 grew to become the Genesis’ top-selling game, while 
Sonic CD (up until only very recently) was doomed to misunderstandings and obscurity.

Sonic CD featured the first cartoon appearances of the blue blur.

Sonic CD has been hailed by some as the greatest Sonic game ever made, yet others dismiss it as obtuse. There’s no doubt about it; Sonic CD is very different from its numbered-game brethren. It was made with only the original Sonic 1 to look back at for reference, and is essentially vacuum-Japan’s idea of what a first sequel could be. Shockingly little contact was made between the Sonic 2 team and the CD team, and where America thought up a sequel of excess, Japan came up with a sequel of intellect.

Sonic CD is the thinking-man’s Sonic game.

Sonic CD’s main goal is not the same as most Sonic games: to get to the end of the stage as quickly as possible. Instead the goal is to create a “good future” for every stage. This is achieved via time travel. Passing by “Past” or “Future” signposts and maintaining a constant speed will warp Sonic into the past/future version of the stage. Each of the game’s 21 stages has four variants: past, present, good future, and bad future. Using the expanded storage of compact disc, each variant has its own graphics, music, layout, and obstacles. Though each stage has four layers, so to speak, the stage itself must only be cleared once; the time traveling between layers en route to the end is wholly of the player’s discretion. Players of other Sonic games may just blitz through the game like it were any other, staying mainly in the present with the occasional time travel, and then finish the game feeling underwhelmed.

Playing Sonic CD this way, not knowing at all of its deeper gameplay elements, would be disappointing. Instead, the game’s stages should be seen not as races to the finish, but as large, expansive adventure fields full of secrets to explore. Consider that Sonic CD’s stages, with rare exception, are designed to be fully backtracked through, with no way to not reach the beginning from the end. Any one-way path moving forward will always have an analog path moving back. That said, here is how the game should be “properly” played:

1. Starting in the present, travel into the past.
2. In the past, scour the level for a robot generator. These unmistakably look like electric black machines that should be destroyed. They can even be seen in the present, inactive, as a clue to their position. Destroying this generator will erase all enemies from the past and result in a good future.
3. Once the generator is destroyed, optionally search the past further for a Metal Sonic hologram. Destroying this hologram will allow small animals to populate the stage in all its variants, adding to the triumph of good.
4. From here, the stage can be cleared. However, for the full effect of the game, time travel to the present and again to the good future, enjoying the music and graphics of the utopia.

Certainly much more to do in each stage than simply going to the end!

In order: Bad Future, Good Future, Past, Present. Note the subtle layout differences between the time periods.

Bosses are found in every third act of a zone, and always take place in the future—whether that is a good or bad future depends on if a good future was made in the first two acts. Going on the premise that Sonic CD requires more brain than brawn, even Sonic CD’s bosses are more cerebral than those of the other games. Instead of hitting Robotnik’s capsule eight times within his various contraptions, Robotnik in Sonic CD requires very few hits but much more strategy. One boss takes place in a pinball arena where defeating Robotnik is tantamount to making it all the way to the top. Another takes place underwater, where the air bubbles keeping Sonic alive double as Robotnik’s shield. Yet another places Robotnik in a booth on top of a conveyor belt, and Sonic’s running upon it burns away the floor of the booth. Finally, who can forget the iconic race between Sonic and his metal doppelganger, forcing a gauntlet along a speedway of spikes? Though Sonic CD’s bosses are never difficult, they invoke a level of intuition and genius that no other Sonic game has come close to matching. 

The Special Stages truly showcased the added power of the Sega CD.

Like the original Sonic the Hedgehog, collecting 50 rings and finishing the stage gives the option to enter the Special Stage. These free-roaming 3D stages task Sonic in destroying six UFOs hovering around the stage before time runs out. The 3D plane and sprite scaling in this stage are made possible only with the Sega CD; the Genesis alone is not able to generate these kinds of special effects. Successfully completing these stages award Sonic not with Chaos Emeralds like in the mainstream games, but with Time Stones. These serve as an alternate way to achieve good futures, as collecting all seven will invoke good futures automatically for the rest of the game, and will play the “good ending” movie. Yes, that’s right, Sonic CD features animated prologue and epilogue movies. Another of the Sega CD’s advantages over the stock Genesis is the ability to play full-motion video clips. Though the quality of the Sega CD’s video codec is infamously poor and grainy, the simplicity of Sonic CD’s color saturation results in a decent quality.

There is one last feature in Sonic CD to mention, and it is arguably the most engrossing besides the main game: Time Attack. Sonic CD is the first (and conspicuously one of the few) Sonic game to feature a time attack mode, where every stage previously completed is selectable to race through. In this mode, the object of the game reverts to that of mainstream Sonic: get to the end as fast as possible. All time traveling signposts are removed and the game remains in the default time period. The best three times are saved in the Sega CD’s internal memory, allowing those runs to be immortalized and cherished long after the console is powered off. This mode also hosts a meta-game—it records individual stage records as well as an aggregate best time for the whole game. Knocking this master time down unlocks bonus features such as sound and pencil tests. Although this whole review focused on how atypical this Sonic game is, this time attack mode is the great equalizer, allowing this spinoff game to return to its roots in grand fashion.

Sonic CD had a confident sense of visual style not common in its era.

Sonic CD’s success was always limited by its platforms. The Sega CD was seen, then and now, as an expensive add-on of empty promises. Though Sonic CD was always considered one of the diamonds in the rough, few sought out the required Genesis, add-on, and game disc combination. The game was ported to PC in 1997 which expanded its audience somewhat, but computer gaming was more niche than it is now. Later it found its way to the Sonic Gems Collection compilation for GameCube and PS2 (Japan/Europe only) as a butchered port of the PC version. Finally, a completely remastered version was coded by a very gifted fan and released as a downloadable title for Xbox 360, PS3, iOS and Android. This is the most complete version of Sonic CD, with a widescreen presentation, both soundtracks (the original US release featured a completely different soundtrack), a stabilized frame rate of 60fps (most noticeable in the Special Stage), even an unlockable option to play as Tails! What once was an obscure Sonic game is now one of the easiest to acquire and enjoy.

Sonic CD serves as a lateral slice of Sonic history, featuring so many fresh and new ideas despite being over 20 years old. It’s a diversion to the series that if had seen success, would have been more representative of the series. However, the game’s appreciation has always remained a low buzz and not a resounding roar. So instead the game can be appreciated as it is, and as it stands alone. One can only wonder how the series would have evolved if Sonic CD, not Sonic 2, was seen as the official successor, not the spinoff, to the series’ lineage.

PlayStation VR: The Sega CD of Our Time?

 

Anyone who has perused a gaming or technology site within the past year has no doubt been informed of the upcoming VR boom. With so many virtual reality headsets and kits so close to release from Sony, Google, Samsung, Oculus, and others, 2016 will be known as the Year of VR. Virtual reality is one of the holy grails of technology; it has been dreamt of for decades and has existed for years in a very tight niche, but with this year's releases VR will finally be available to the masses and used in the comfort of the home. Right now all eyes are on Sony's offering: PlayStation VR.

On paper, the whole project sounds mesmerizing, albeit quite vague. PSVR is an add-on kit for the existing PlayStation 4, essentially a headset allowing the player to be fully immersed in the gaming world. It works in conjunction with standard DualShock 4 controllers (also perhaps the motion-based PlayStation Move controller) and the PlayStation Camera for head tracking. It is set to be released some point this year along with a host of VR-compatible games… and that’s really all we know. For a device set to release within mere months, there are many glaring points that are still unclear:

-What is the power situation? Clearly there’s some kind of hard-wiring or battery life to be discussed.

-How exactly does it connect to the console?

-Most of the “games” shown so far are tech demos, nothing that would seem to captivate for more than a single session. Perhaps more insight on the games themselves?

-If this supports (the currently discontinued) PS Move controllers, will they be re-manufactured for general purchase? Could this usher a resurgence in the Move system, maybe even new PS4 Move (not necessarily VR) titles?

-What is the price??! It can’t possibly be cheap, and many analyst rumors place the price above the cost of the PS4 itself.

There’s also the two main points that must be covered in any advertising/PR campaign, both have which gone unanswered:

-Who is the target audience, and what is the key message?

In other words, who is buying this and why? Why should I want this? Most importantly, why should game developers want to utilize PSVR, which will certainly drive up costs and time? What is the ROI, the return on investment?

Hz rate, low latency, blah blah blah. Hype without justification, so far at least...

Now is an excellent time to reference this article’s title, and look back on video game history. This whole PSVR question mark greatly echoes an add-on from 25 years ago: the Sega CD. Back in 1992, Sega released a CD-ROM add-on for its Genesis console, allowing games to take advantage of CD-quality audio, data storage and other graphical tricks. After an exciting launch window, the Sega CD dwindled into obscurity and duped its early adopters, having been promised an exciting future of exclusive game experiences.

The Sega CD failed for many reasons, starting with price. A $300 add-on for a $200 console was a very hard sell, especially to the teenage market which relied on the graces of their parents’ money. The Sega CD also required its own power supply, which back in the 90s referred to a giant brick to plug in the wall (taking up the room of several sockets), next to the brick the Genesis required, and next to the plugs needed for the TV, VCR, cable box, stereo system… many gamers simply could not find room to plug it in! However, the Sega CD’s fatal flaw was in its game selection. It heavily banked on the new genre of FMV (full motion video) games, essentially movies requiring specific button presses at the right time that would guide the show along. Unfortunately this lead to games that didn’t quite feel like games, and on a console that graphically wasn’t up to snuff. Yes, the Sega CD could play video clips, but at a horrible frame rate and a dreadful color density. It was technology that arrived too soon. Other games were merely Genesis titles with a revamped soundtrack and perhaps an extra level or two. Nice, yes, but not at the expense of $500 plus the cost of games. Games did exist for the Sega CD that were truly exclusive, and took full advantage of the add-on and all its qualities, but these titles were much too few and far between. Sega barely mentioned the add-on after its launch, focusing more on the core Sega Genesis, and finally discontinued it in 1995.

Price, wiring, sub-par games, poor support. Hmm… noticing a pattern?

Sega's ads really laid it on thick. Sometimes this kind of marketing works, but sometimes...

If there is one thing Sony is good at, it is selling hardware, and this goes beyond gaming. They’ve managed to sell hundreds of millions in electronics through the years: Trinitrons, Vaios, Walkmen, Xperias, PlayStations… but Sony also has a habit of abandonment. Their consumer electronics are updated and re-released religiously, killing support for the previous model immediately after their introduction. “Here’s the next new thing. Now here’s the next new thing. Don’t hold onto the old one, get this one now!” It is a common philosophy in the industry, but video games are a bit different. Game consoles have traditionally been designed to last several years, and PlayStations are notorious for their long lifespans. However their add-ons… it’s a whole other story. PlayStation add-ons are commonly hyped beyond belief, released at questionable prices, supported very infrequently with non-captivating games or marketing and then swept under the rug when they (understandably) haven’t sold enough to Sony’s liking. Remember the PlayStation 2’s Hard Drive? The EyeToy? How about the aforementioned PlayStation Move? Remember the giant marketing blitz for the Move just a few years ago, leaving us with a ton of peripherals, charging devices, regret, and only a half-dozen games that were really worth playing? (Many of which were old ports from the Nintendo Wii...)

Even the PlayStation Vita has received this treatment. The Vita is Sony’s current PlayStation handheld, but you would never know it. It too received incredible hype and a big launch, only for its sales numbers to not be in the billions in its first week (which of course they would not!). But instead of Sony building the Vita ecosystem and supporting it with software and advertising, they banished the Vita to the basement, a failure that never was given a chance. 

Now, PlayStation VR is Sony’s golden child du jour. Hype hype hype, unclear details, but also now gamers who are aware of Sony’s patterns. PSVR has rightfully gained a lot of skepticism from gamers and analysts, who question its technological merit, game selection, logistics and of course, ROI for developers and consumers. In many ways, PlayStation VR is becoming another EyeToy, Move, and Sega CD combined. 

Let’s not forget that back in the 90s, Sony was a prolific third-party developer for the Sega CD! They found invaluable experience working for the CD add-on that they knew was doomed so they could practice for their future CD-based console, the original PlayStation. It isn’t like Sony has no idea of the Sega CD’s sad story because they were a part of it! Wouldn’t they think of not repeating the Sega CD’s mistakes?

Sterility is the main theme of the PSVR's advertising.

Sony’s VR has been in development for years, and only just now feels confident enough to give it a proper release. Well if they’re that confident about it then what is with the continued opaque secrecy? Hype is one thing, but details are another. What are they still scared of, and what details are they still trying to hide behind the sizzle reels and PR jargon? If deep down, the tech still isn’t completely there, then it shouldn’t be released quite yet. The Sega CD released with the technology dangling by a thread, and look how that backfired. If the games haven’t made it past the demo stage, if there’s no real way they’ve proved yet how VR enhances the experience and makes going back to TV gaming impossible, then maybe we’re still not ready yet. Many consoles and add-ons fail because the games themselves just didn’t come to fruition. Look no further than the Wii U for proof of that.

PlayStation VR’s fate can be divined by a statement as old as the gaming industry. Since when has an add-on ever been truly successful? The answer: never.

Good luck, PSVR.

Borgata's House Edge

It’s hard to figure out what’s worse: the dead Revel rotting on the boardwalk, or the flourishing Borgata refusing to share its wealth.

In the latest Atlantic City quagmire, the spotlight is on the Borgata. Upon opening in 2003, it took the city by storm and became the state’s most consistently successful casino. (Perhaps even, the most successful casino on the East Coast.) Where many other casinos have started strong but have since faded, Borgata continues to reinvent itself and caters to every demographic over the age of 21. Young or old, rich or not-so, clubber or diner, gambler or shopper… anyone who enjoys a break from the norm can find plenty to see and do at Borgata. For over 12 years that has been an undisputed fact.

So as AC’s king of the hill, it’s no surprise the Borgata rakes in a windfall every month… largely for itself. Granted that is the nature of business, but keep in mind the whole reason casinos were allowed in Atlantic City was so they could pay it forward. Keep most for themselves but give Atlantic City itself a share, so they could fix up the town and re-spark the magic (that it so desperately needs). Though they all pay their taxes, almost every casino company operating in AC is guilty of not doing their part in revitalizing the city. Instead they feed their profits toward their (Vegas-based) parent companies, neither helping out the city nor really themselves, allowing the casinos to remain stuck in the 80s. Only recently have the AC casinos gone through heavy renovations; and in places like Tropicana and Bally’s one can still find old ‘relics’ that do little to boost their image. Other casinos that have remained almost untouched since 1984, such as the Atlantic Club and Trump Plaza, didn’t renovate but chose to shutter.

Borgata is arguably the only casino in Atlantic City on par with the best of Las Vegas.

Borgata though, is a bit different. It is owned by Marina District Development, a company that, put very simply, only exists for the Borgata. It started out as various things with various owners (Wynn, MGM, and Boyd among others all having some affiliation now or at one time) all converging on this one resort to galvanize AC’s marina district. The Borgata is the result of their disjointed joint efforts, and has become a major success. The ends justified the means. Because the Borgata has no overhead to pay to, it has been allowed to put all of its profit back into itself, continuing its expansions and maintaining the gold standard. This is the simple reason why the Borgata has always been in the lead.

With big profits come big taxes, and the Borgata generally played along, doing the right thing paying its property taxes and being a good little boy… until now. As incredulous as it sounds, Atlantic City is almost out of money. The city itself is nearly bankrupt and Gov. Christie is this close to having the state take over the city’s affairs. How this managed to happen, especially in a city with casino profits in the billions, is mind-numbing. Despite all this, for years the Borgata knew it were owed hundreds of millions in tax appeals by the city, and its finally put its foot down. Taxes it overpaid (that they barely financially felt) to a city with no money currently in the bank.

A rich entity giving too much to a broke entity. Let that sink in. That hypocrisy. That asininity.

Now, understandably, Borgata wants its money back. All $170 million of it. Until it starts getting back their returns, it will withhold paying its current taxes. So far it already refused to make a $7.2 million payment. That is money the city needs very badly right now (though honestly it’s middling compared to the larger picture). On one hand, one can’t blame the Borgata. That $170 million is money it dutifully paid over they years and is entitled to have back. It was not the city’s to have in the first place. Imagine you not getting your tax return because the country couldn’t afford it, of course you’d be upset but also in awe as to how that situation is possible.

But at the same time, see it the other way. This city that gave the Borgata life is in a bad position, and stressing it even further with tax returns runs the risk of financially destroying the casino’s home. If the Borgata was a team player, they would pardon the refunds and maybe even give the city a little more of the resort’s major profits to try and help it out.

Only these are not two schoolyard friends having each other’s back. One is a cold, hard business and the other is cold, hard government. And business is not entitled to help government. There’s no reason to be “nice.” It’s capitalism, pure and simple. The American Way. Trump 2016.

Borgata's main expansion, The Water Club, is a perfect example of the resort's constant innovation.

Even if Atlantic City shut down completely and the Borgata closed (which would never happen), the Marina District Development execs would simply “cash out” and open somewhere else. Or even just rest on their lucrative laurels. They’ve already won. The city and the government at large would be forced to deal with it, on top of all their other issues. And like most other Americans, wary of big government, by refusing future tax payments and insisting on their returns, the Borgata is simply saying, “Screw ‘em.”

Here’s hoping it all works out, though unless someone really goes off-script it’s unlikely anything will.