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Such as the guy who beat World of Warcraft!

Lower power consumption is not a feature because you don't care about it?

Did I say it wasn't a feature because I didn't care about it? Go back and read my comment carefully before accusing me of not thinking, and referring to it as "dreck." No, wait, I'll save you the effort. I stated, "lower power consumption...means Sony is using fewer/smaller/cheaper components..." such as when they removed the emotion engine. Their goal wasn't to reduce power consumption, but to reduce manufacturing costs as Sony believes their in business to profit off of game consoles. And perhaps it was egocentric (not solipsistic) of me to think that because I don't view lower power consumption as a "feature", nobody else will either. Though in spite of you exposing my myopia on this matter, I somehow still doubt that's going to cause the slim to fly off the shelves. While I'm being egocentric, let me draw your attention to the selfish subject of this comment thread, which entitles me to be egocentric, "Not buying a PS3 now..."

http://playstation.joystiq.com/2007/02/08/playstation-3-manufacturing-costs-to-go-down-way-down/

Utter garbage. Nintendo is the only console manufacturer that insists on profiting on the hardware from day one. That is one of the reasons why their stuff is so underpowered compared to their competitors. "Content subscriptions"...on a Nintendo console? No, you must be thinking of World of Warcraft. If you're thinking at all, which I kinda doubt after reading your dreck.

You are correct, Nintendo is profiting from console sales with the Wii, as they have since at least 2006. http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/multimedia/display/20061215092033.html But that's a bonus to them and only a very small portion of their corporate sales, and that bonus only comes from decades of understanding the industry. But once again you entirely missed my point, being that profit in the console gaming industry is not in the console itself, it's in the sales of software and subscription content. You don't think Nintendo profits from subscription content? That's their bread and butter! They sell "Wii Points" which are as much legal tender as Monopoly money, then convince their customer base to exchange their "Wii Points" for intangibles such as downloaded channels, classic games, videos and new games without physical media. But I'm the one that's "not thinking." I suppose now you're going to try to correct the use of the term subscription in reference to Wii Channels, Wii Ware and Virtual Console content, seeing as these content purchases remain on the Nintendo console indefinitely without the need to make regular payments to maintain them. However, I used the term content subscription in a more general sense, so as to refer to each of the 3 major next-generation console systems ability to deliver content via a network connection. The OED says I may do so, as it defines subscription as "A contribution of money for a specified object." Additionally, apparently console hardware specs aren't what sell consoles. The Sony PS3 has been in production for longer than the Nintendo Wii, yet Nintendo has already sold 67 million consoles worldwide while Sony has sold just half that.

http://www.joystiq.com/2010/01/28/ds-sells-125-million-worldwide-wii-up-to-67-million/ http://www.scei.co.jp/corporate/data/bizdataps3_sale_e.html

Lower power consumption is not a feature because you don't care about it?

Did I say it wasn't a feature because I didn't care about it? Go back and read my comment carefully before accusing me of not thinking, and referring to it as "dreck." No, wait, I'll save you the effort. I stated, "lower power consumption...means Sony is using fewer/smaller/cheaper components..." such as when they removed the emotion engine. Their goal wasn't to reduce power consumption, but to reduce manufacturing costs as Sony believes their in business to profit off of game consoles. And perhaps it was egocentric (not solipsistic) of me to think that because I don't view lower power consumption as a "feature", nobody else will either. Though in spite of you exposing my myopia on this matter, I somehow still doubt that's going to cause the slim to fly off the shelves. While I'm being egocentric, let me draw your attention to the selfish subject of this comment thread, which entitles me to be egocentric, "Not buying a PS3 now..."

http://playstation.joystiq.com/2007/02/08/playstation-3-manufacturing-costs-to-go-down-way-down/

Utter garbage. Nintendo is the only console manufacturer that insists on profiting on the hardware from day one. That is one of the reasons why their stuff is so underpowered compared to their competitors. "Content subscriptions"...on a Nintendo console? No, you must be thinking of World of Warcraft. If you're thinking at all, which I kinda doubt after reading your dreck.

You are correct, Nintendo is profiting from console sales with the Wii, as they have since at least 2006. http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/multimedia/display/20061215092033.html But that's a bonus to them and only a very small portion of their corporate sales, and that bonus only comes from decades of understanding the industry. But once again you entirely missed my point, being that profit in the console gaming industry is not in the console itself, it's in the sales of software and subscription content. You don't think Nintendo profits from subscription content? That's their bread and butter! They sell "Wii Points" which are as much legal tender as Monopoly money, then convince their customer base to exchange their "Wii Points" for intangibles such as downloaded channels, classic games, videos and new games without physical media. But I'm the one that's "not thinking." I suppose now you're going to try to correct the use of the term subscription in reference to Wii Channels, Wii Ware and Virtual Console content, seeing as these content purchases remain on the Nintendo console indefinitely without the need to make regular payments to maintain them. However, I used the term content subscription in a more general sense, so as to refer to each of the 3 major next-generation console systems ability to deliver content via a network connection. The OED says I may do so, as it defines subscription as "A contribution of money for a specified object." Additionally, apparently console hardware specs aren't what sell consoles. The Sony PS3 has been in production for longer than the Nintendo Wii, yet Nintendo has already sold 67 million consoles worldwide while Sony has sold just half that.

http://www.joystiq.com/2010/01/28/ds-sells-125-million-worldwide-wii-up-to-67-million/ http://www.scei.co.jp/corporate/data/bizdataps3_sale_e.html

then I'll start to believe that Flash might die.

Time to start believing!

OK, yeah, it's not definitive, just speculation...

s/Ubisoft/Capcom/

Most people will dismiss this idea out of hand, saying that I don't know anything about the realities of the business. And they are probably right. I'm just a dumb, little nobody. But I am running a profitable game company. But Electronic Arts and Activision (the company that owns Blizzard!) are losing bazillions of dollars.

Maybe you should pay yourself $15 million a year and then hire a bunch of middle management and pay them more than the developers that do all your actual work. Be sure to insulate yourself from any actual work. That's when you can be considered "in the know" about the gaming industry or more specifically "in the money laughing as consumers suffer through your titles." Then you too can siphon off funds while your company languishes in the red just like the big guys.

I think you're just jealous....

Most people will dismiss this idea out of hand, saying that I don't know anything about the realities of the business. And they are probably right. I'm just a dumb, little nobody. But I am running a profitable game company. But Electronic Arts and Activision (the company that owns Blizzard!) are losing bazillions of dollars.

Maybe you should pay yourself $15 million a year and then hire a bunch of middle management and pay them more than the developers that do all your actual work. Be sure to insulate yourself from any actual work. That's when you can be considered "in the know" about the gaming industry or more specifically "in the money laughing as consumers suffer through your titles." Then you too can siphon off funds while your company languishes in the red just like the big guys.

http://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/28/halo-3-not-hd-runs-at-640p-pixel-counters-claim/ :)

The funny thing is, when the new Splinter Cell Conviction comes out over here in the UK
I was going to actually buy the PC version
but after reading the above and this http://www.joystiq.com/2010/04/16/splinter-cell-dev-defends-ubisofts-always-on-drm/
I'm actually really tempted to pirate the thing
(or perhaps get an xbox given that Sony's screwed me over with the whole otheros thing)

Isn't Impulse made by the same company (Stardock) who's putting together "Goo" - which is a DRM system? http://www.joystiq.com/2009/03/26/stardock-introduces-flexible-drm-solution-goo/ While Stardock has generally gone without DRM for their past games, I don't think Impulse is necessarily a DRM-free system. It's probably more of a "here's a DRM system called 'goo' that's available for everyone who wants to use Impulse" kind of a system. My guess is that "Goo" is a low-level DRM system, not a "you must be connected to the internet" or rootkit-based system.

Well, at least we've sussed who's been benefiting from the gambling scandal...

http://www.joystiq.com/2010/04/14/south-korea-rocked-by-starcraft-gambling-scandal/

different game, but you might be interested in a computer playing Super Mario World

No, he means this. It's no surprise Thompson got disbarred, the guy is crazy!

You are putting your head in the sand if you think it is not having an effect.
http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/09/id-software-ceo-piracy-pushed-us-multiplatform/

When long time pc developers say it is a problem you should listen to them
http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/09/id-software-ceo-piracy-pushed-us-multiplatform/

If you compare piracy stats for a multiplat release you'll see the rates are much higher for the pc version. I'm not talking a 10 or 20 percent difference but more like 1000%. This doesn't bode well for the pc when the pc version of a multiplat usually sells the worse. It's no secret in the gaming industry that the pc is the platform of choice for pirates.

While you may say "please step away from your Slashdot reality distortion field" in relation to DRM, Ubisoft's piss-poor DRM implementation has made a lot of people swear off their games on PC. Assassin's Creed 2 much? All the major game sites covered when Ubisoft's DRM server went down and no one could play it. So that shiny Ubisoft game you bought for your PC will only work when your internet connection is up and Ubisoft's DRM servers are reachable... even though you're not playing the game online. And this after the first one was bad ui, bad drm, bad port and had the same issues.

All of this is well outside the Slashdot reality distortion field and starting to clue people in that you don't actually own a DRMed game. You rent it. And you play it with the temporary permission of the publisher... which they can take away at a whim... or can be taken away by a simple network issue.

This is correct but I suspect MS' agreement runs out at the end of 2010 as that will be how long PS3 owners require the disk and possibly the same for Wii owners. Though depending on the size of the app and the Wii's limited space, Wii owners may be stuck with the disk for good.

http://www.joystiq.com/2009/10/26/netflix-ps3-disc-must-remain-in-system-until-2010-update/

Here you go: http://www.joystiq.com/2009/09/14/activision-ceo-talks-console-less-guitar-hero-turning-fear-into/

Now for the promised strange and, yes, disturbing comments on Kotick's part. What may have been music to bean counters' ears still has ours ringing, as he described tailoring developer bonuses to "really [reward] profit and nothing else" and how an air of "skepticism, pessimism, and fear" is promoted within the company with the goal of "keeping people focused on the deep depression." You know, so they focus on profit and nothing else. It's all to plan, though, seeing as Kotick confided that, "The goal that I had in bringing a lot of the packaged goods folks into Activision about 10 years ago was to take all the fun out of making video games."

Reminds me of this event. A griefer in an MMO was crucified for 7 days while his account was banned. http://www.joystiq.com/2006/03/23/see-mmo-griefer-crucified-in-public-spectacle/

Yeah, it will suck if they start charging, fortunately it does not seem that way.

Apparently:

It's far more likely that the line in the report was referring to new subscription-based features, such as the PSP rental service or one of SOE's upcoming MMOs.

ANECDOTES FOR THE WIN!!! The original Game Boys are invincible. That fact has been a well-documented phenomenon. There is nothing else like it, not even from Japan. If that's the only counterpoint for Japan-made electronics you can come up with, everyone knows it's not a representative example.

http://nintendo.joystiq.com/2008/02/06/damn-it-feels-good-to-have-a-game-boy/

You did not buy a pair of shoes for $60 from China. You bought it for $60 from an American store. You know who got the lion's share of the profit from that? The store did. Because they told the Chinese factory to make e.g. a shoe for $5 per pair and they produced a shoe within that budget. You, however, paid $60 for a pair of $5 shoes, and the $55 difference in quality lies with the American company you bought it from, not the Chinese manufacturer. Which was the point of my first post. If you got your reading comprehension from an American school it sure didn't turn out well. Maybe take a class in Japan?

If there is evidence of a statistically significant drop in quality of Apple's hardware, I don't think it would be coincidence either, I think it would be Apple experimenting with their levels of quality control. Every company gets the last say in what products they ship to stores. If they have a problem with quality it's because they don't want to pay for quality or for quality controls. That's how bad stuff ends up in your hands, because the company that orders the stuff thinks it's okay to sell it to you that way. They have the ability to stop low-quality items from ever reaching you. But why would they if people are dumb enough to keep paying money for it?

Hmm, okay I found the article you're talking about. Looks like Cerberus Network will just be used for free content, and they'll offer up the paid stuff through the usual route.

http://www.joystiq.com/2010/01/22/mass-effect-2-dlc-not-only-available-through-cerberus-network/

Where are the public statements about only pirates wanting LAN play, by the way?

Here's one:

"We don't currently plan to support LAN play with StarCraft II, as we are building Battle.net to be the ideal destination for multiplayer gaming with StarCraft II and future Blizzard Entertainment games. While this was a difficult decision for us, we felt that moving away from LAN play and directing players to our upgraded Battle.net service was the best option to ensure a quality multiplayer experience with StarCraft II and safeguard against piracy." (Emphasis mine.)

LAN play is no less of a "quality" multiplayer experience than... the exact same thing plus authentication over battle.net before the game begins, which is what they want us to do, so their first statement is marketing BS.

That leaves us with "we're leaving out LAN play to safeguard against piracy."

I wonder, what statistics do they have that show them LAN play increased piracy in the original?

Oh, right. Starcraft encouraged people to play together without everyone owning a copy, because Blizzard provided spawn copies.

Or how about this one:

"As mentioned by Rob Pardo in interviews, piracy is a serious problem and often times tie in closely with LAN."

"We would not take out LAN if we did not feel we could offer players something better. Don’t be a leech to society, innovation, and further awesome creations." (Emphasis mine.)

So... they're blaming piracy problems largely on LAN support. Oh, and if you want LAN support, you're a leech to society and innovation.

It's that sort of attitude that I find repugnant.

http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/09/terrible-news-gordon-freeman-spotted-near-large-hadron-collider/

"The PSP Go isn't a direction that I like. I don't want my "licensing" of a game to be present on a server; I'd rather have a physical disk/cartridge/whatever instead. It's bulkier, sure, but at least I can sell the thing when I'm done with it!"

I wouldn't mind if the games only cost a dollar or two like iPhone/Touch, but considering the price to download a PSP Go game is more than Amazon or Best Buy makes it not worth it. Why pay $40 to download when it's $29 at Walmart and then I don't even have something I can resell or trade?

Not only that, but it takes 40 minutes to download a gigabyte thanks to the slow 802.11b connection. Wow! I have a PS3, and I'm tired of the constant forced updates of everything. iPhone/Touch doesn't force updates, they tell you they're available but nothing makes you download an update to the app store or apps to work. And now they slap a 11 mBit/s connection to it? Are they kidding? Sure the PSP had the same connection but that was 2005 and the game was on a 1.8gb UMD, no download required. For 2010 I expected something better.

Sony just doesn't "get" it's customers, they continue to make glaringly obvious mistakes and we keep scratching our heads saying "why Sony?" Maybe it's time we stop scratching and just buy something else.

Start with Vampire Killer and go from there.

2010 called and wants their ATi card to run stable and stop crashing in any number of PC games: Borderlands, Saboteur etc. There have been public known issues with the 5xxx line of their cards causing system locks because of poor drivers and incompatibilities. http://www.joystiq.com/2009/11/03/borderlands-glitch-watch-2009-radeon-powered-pc-crashes/ http://www.evilavatar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=101665 etc. etc.

"Players have three options: 400 points ($5) grants a dual-platform license (playable on Xbox 360 and PC), 240 points ($3) gets you the virtual arcade cabinet on one platform (Xbox 360 or PC), and, for the old-fashioned types, 40 points ($0.50) is exactly "two quarters" worth of playtime -- for an authentic arcade experience, minus the sticky floors."

http://www.joystiq.com/2010/01/07/xbox-game-room-pricing-partners-detailed/

Nintendo has always been stalwart when it comes to protecting their copyrights. Nintendo has a long history of comments about fair use, personal backups, and so forth that might even make Ken Kutaragi, Mr. "PS3 gamers should get a second job", laugh out loud. Their actions are usually quite in line with their statements.

But, something I have never heard about, despite trawling some of the darkest parts of the internet, is Nintendo going after creators of porn based on Nintendo IP. This has always confused me--I'm not really for nor against them going after the artists, but considering the potential harm they might do to Nintendo's brand, you'd think it would be of a higher priority. Even more astounding, at least to me, is that as far as I can tell THOT was being given away for free, while there are plenty of toon porn sites out there that charge for their content (though piracy often slips around this). I would think it almost a no-brainer for Nintendo to go after the commercial sites and more popular/notorious artists to scare off the little guys. And, yet, I've never heard of a single case or even a C&D.

In fact, I've never heard of any company acting upon toon porn (and any cosplay porn that may exist.) Why is this? Are they somehow not aware it exists? Rule 34 is a popular enough concept at this point that I would think the idea would have at least entered their head from somewhere. Are they scared of bringing the world of drawn pornography to the limelight? After an Iowa man was thrown in jail for kiddie toon porn ("shota yaoi"), Nintendo (and other similar companies) could get even more help from the FBI and local police forces (looking to make a name for themselves) going after the artists of any underaged characters. Nintendo obviously isn't going just for profit makers (Neither is Disney), so their lack of action in this regard leaves me scratching my head. ..Oh, and, uh, boo copyright, overzealous corporations, fish, fish, etc.

I doubt it. Most gamers regardless of system are older now. See, for example, http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/23/new-study-compares-360-ps3-consumers/ . I know the Wii is not included in there. I, too, own both a Wii and a 360. I'd say they get about equal playing time, but I am definitely a Nintendo fanboy.

Epic not evil? Read up on the working conditions of their game developers, and how they sabotage any initiative to improve industry-wide conditions, then come back and say that.

You can at least provide some links to articles that support your claims. Are you referring to the Mike Capps interview where he said that he demands people to put in their effort and an extra mile when needed (i.e. crunch times?) Maybe you should read this (followup interview): http://www.joystiq.com/2009/04/22/joystiq-interview-epics-michael-capps-responds-to-accusations/

Yes, it would be great if Epic (and the rest of the Game Industry) wouldn't demand/need crunch times. But it is not just the game industry that has crunch times. They are everywhere, every job that involves projects with deadlines has crunch times.

And my past 10 year experience with Epic is that they are really supportive with respect to fan made/fan run stuff.

And not too long ago in Spain, a case against a flashcart seller was dismissed since it was rationalized the hardware had legitimate uses. link

Gamers who cared enough to want to do well on Xbox consoles learned that they need to soup-up their systems. It was just another level of gaming. It was easy to do and the rewards were there

Well if souping up there systems make no difference then why did they do it. If it did make a difference I am glad they have been booted off live so I do not have to play against someone online who has an advantage over me.

Microsoft's solution to the situation is disordered. Microsoft is punishing their own customers for taking advantage of Microsoft's mistakes.

Err, yes. If I left my wallet on the table in front of my while I eat, and then I catch you trying to steal it, I am going to jump on you. I will then meat out whatever punishment I feel approriate before handing you to the cops. I know it is a mistake to leave my wallet on display, but it is still a criminal act to try and pinch it. I am not saying modding an xbox is criminal, I am saying that you can be punished for exploiting other peoples mistakes.

You knew the product you bought came with restrictions, so you tried to bypass them. Microsoft caught you, and decided to bypass you instead since they cannot be sure they will generate any more revenure from a player who has the option of paying a pittance for a product that normally costs $60 or whatever.

If I were running Microsoft, I would fire the person who is doing this and replace them with someone who can come up with a win-win for their most clever customers.

Why does modding an xbox make you clever? Surely any old cretin pay someone to do it for them, or just solder the chip or whatever in place themselves. Don't get me wrong, I admire people who are good at soldering, I have done it a few times and i suck at it compared to at least one of my mates. But it is not a sign of intelligence, it is an art of manual dexterity more then mantal acuity.

On another note about running Microsoft, it is plaingly obvious you do not. The average Xbox360 was sold at launch for less than it cost to produce:
http://www.joystiq.com/2005/12/28/xbox-360-costs-715-to-make/

Ok, so things have changed and now they probably can make a profit on the hardware, but who wants to buy one new anyway. There are millions kicking around secondhand you can pick up for a pittance the throw a hard disk in (I just did to use as a DVD / media player in my lounge). This means that the games is where all the profit is, and they do not want alot of freeloaders playing their Christmas run of titles without them seeing a nickel. This will probably be the last Christmas they actually sell any titles for it in any quantity anyway as it must be due for a revamp in the next year or so.

If you were in Steve Ballmers position, you would probably do everything you could to stop someone else being able to give your products away for free without paying you for them. If you did not, you would not be running the company for very long I assure you. The shareholders would remove you with a vote of no confidence.

Remember, companies do no want clever customers: They want profitable ones and that is not always the same thing.

Oh really?

Joystiq and Kotaku seem to disagree with you.

I don't know about the having-to-be-online-to-play thing. I'm usually online. But there has in fact already been a PC patch.

Should I sue because they didn't accommodate for people with my particular disability? Plenty of people are missing limbs. Why aren't they in an uproar over Guitar Hero?

They might be actually, but are in line behind pathetic one hit wonders mad that the guitar hero version sounds like the original song, a talentless trailer trash bimbo suing because she thinks her dead husband is copyrighted, and a delusional guitar maker that seems to claim a patent on pretending you're playing guitar without actually playing guitar.

Whatever court hears completely bat-shit insane lawsuits by greedy jerks trying to get money they didn't earn from successful games must be pretty backlogged.

The article also mentions that the DS Game - Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars sold poorly, selling only 89,000 copies, way under expectations. This bums me out, since I bought it, bought copies as gifts, and loved it - the DS touch-screen interface is something I find very enjoyable to use. With such low sales, a sequel seems unlikely, in spite of the fact that it received the all-time high score for the DS at metacritic - http://www.metacritic.com/games/ds/

I have a strong suspicion that the easy availability of ROMs for the game might have had something to do with the low sales (although objective data is hard to come by). By comparison, an iphone game was 80% unpaid copies, 20% paid - http://www.joystiq.com/2009/10/26/developer-claims-80-percent-piracy-rate-for-latest-iphone-releas/

The "change your business model" idea suggested for music companies is actually happening for games - Dragon Age: Origins now ships essentially crippled, with magic items to boost stats and useful party-member NPCs held back until you register an EA.com account and use the "free" code contained in a sealed shrink-wrapped game, or pay extra for it as DLC (downloadable content). This then adds all the server-overload fun of an MMO launch to a single-player game. It also required a tedious install reboot install loop on a console. Argh.

I'm not sure what the answer is long-term, other than everything will eventually be network-enabled only, as that's the only way to ensure payment. Standalone games will wither and die. Bummer. (With various exceptions for things like Dwarf Fortress which are free and take donations.)

In the meantime, Wil Wheaton's advice should be extended beyond just playing games, to include publishing and acquiring games - "Don't be a Dick."

As long as there is no competing hand held on the horizon [...]

No competition? Think again, buddy. The iPod Touch is a strong competitor for the Nintendo DS and the PSP. Not for all gamers, sure, but there is lots of talk for instance by Joystiq and C|Net comparing the two.

The big thing is that the games for the iPod Touch are very, very cheap compared to the prices for the DS and the PSP. The price difference for professional games like Madden 10 are astounding. Tetris is between zero and two bucks on the iPod Touch, while it grosses more than $30 on the DS. Studio GameLoft produces professional games for the iPod Touch, always around $10.

If I was Nintendo, I'd piss my pants.

What I'm most surprised about is that no one has developed a gyro/motion sensor that would fit into the advance cartridge slot to make games more Wii like.

Oh but they have...
http://nintendo.joystiq.com/2006/12/06/third-party-card-brings-motion-sensing-to-the-ds/
This was a third-party accessory, and because of this only homebrew could take advantage of it. It's not mentioned in the article, but there were versions for both Slot1 and Slot2. There were several homebrew games written that took advantage of this. It seems like the company that made this went out of business unfortunately.

That's why I don't think this is the case. Netflix has said that they had help from Sony, so I think it is more likely a PS3 application and not a BD-Live Java application.

According to this article, it was an analyst who believed that the implementation was BD-Live, rather than citing some inside source. I'm still hoping for some more interesting BD-Live Java homebrew....

from http://www.joystiq.com/2009/10/26/netflix-ps3-disc-must-remain-in-system-until-2010-update/

Joystiq: Was the PS3 application developed internally by Netflix?

Netflix: Yes, with the help of the Sony team.

Can the Netflix application be installed to the PS3 hard dive from the disc? Or must the disc be inserted every time a user wants to access Netflix?

Yes, the Netflix disc has to be inserted every time to access the Netflix service.

Why not distribute the application via PSN download or firmware update, and then embed it into the XMB?

Again, the instant streaming disc represented the fastest and easiest way to let PS3 enthusiasts get Netflix on the PS3. Late next year we expect to have an embedded solution available for PS3s via a system software update slated for release through the PlayStation Network.

It's kind of like Idiocracy.

Take this brand new game, Bayonetta. It looked like a pretty bad-assed title; I recently found out that they added a "one handed gameplay mode". You can watch a video of it over there.

There aren't many games that allow you to play one-handed. You might be able to get by with one hand on certain RPGs -- leaving the other hand free to grab some popcorn during those really long cutscenes -- but, for the most part, it just doesn't work. Of all the upcoming games we wouldn't expect to play one-handed, Bayonetta sits right at the top of the list. As an action game from Hideki Kamiya, the mind behind Devil May Cry, we can't even imagine trying to play it without two hands sweatily clamped around the controller.

Or how about the Nintendo trend of games "playing themselves"?: New Super Mario Bros. Wii, future titles will play themselves

Are games too hard for you, Johnny? Don't worry -- Shiggy's got your back. Starting with upcoming New Super Mario Bros. Wii, future Nintendo Wii titles will be shipping with the ability to, well, play themselves. In an interview with USA Today, the man who birthed Mario confirmed the existence of "demo play" for the next Mario game and "future games, too" -- essentially an option to allow the game to play itself when the player encounters an area too difficult for them to handle.

Or take a look at the trends in console sales. VGChartz. The new world gaming order is here, and it only cares about the casual gamer.

The casual gamer has money, and he'll gladly take part in microtransactions to buff his character out.

A YouTube video has surfaced displaying the megaton of content that will be offered when the game hits retail in a few days. Most of it only affects Franchise Mode. You can download advanced trainers, staff, and scouts as well as a plethora of game-breakers such as temporary boosts to player and coaching statistics.

So, yes. New graphics are in, new gameplay is out. Small studios can die, nickel and dime-ing is in. Damn it. Where'd all the gamers go.

Oh, that's right. I'll let VGcatz sum it up for me: Nerd Rage

End Transmission.

It's kind of like Idiocracy.

Take this brand new game, Bayonetta. It looked like a pretty bad-assed title; I recently found out that they added a "one handed gameplay mode". You can watch a video of it over there.

There aren't many games that allow you to play one-handed. You might be able to get by with one hand on certain RPGs -- leaving the other hand free to grab some popcorn during those really long cutscenes -- but, for the most part, it just doesn't work. Of all the upcoming games we wouldn't expect to play one-handed, Bayonetta sits right at the top of the list. As an action game from Hideki Kamiya, the mind behind Devil May Cry, we can't even imagine trying to play it without two hands sweatily clamped around the controller.

Or how about the Nintendo trend of games "playing themselves"?: New Super Mario Bros. Wii, future titles will play themselves

Are games too hard for you, Johnny? Don't worry -- Shiggy's got your back. Starting with upcoming New Super Mario Bros. Wii, future Nintendo Wii titles will be shipping with the ability to, well, play themselves. In an interview with USA Today, the man who birthed Mario confirmed the existence of "demo play" for the next Mario game and "future games, too" -- essentially an option to allow the game to play itself when the player encounters an area too difficult for them to handle.

Or take a look at the trends in console sales. VGChartz. The new world gaming order is here, and it only cares about the casual gamer.

The casual gamer has money, and he'll gladly take part in microtransactions to buff his character out.

A YouTube video has surfaced displaying the megaton of content that will be offered when the game hits retail in a few days. Most of it only affects Franchise Mode. You can download advanced trainers, staff, and scouts as well as a plethora of game-breakers such as temporary boosts to player and coaching statistics.

So, yes. New graphics are in, new gameplay is out. Small studios can die, nickel and dime-ing is in. Damn it. Where'd all the gamers go.

Oh, that's right. I'll let VGcatz sum it up for me: Nerd Rage

End Transmission.

Region locking hurts legitimate users, and is used to screw them out of more money.

Say region locking were banned, and prices were fixed throughout everywhere? Do you think the companies would say "Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. Lowest price for all!", or do you think they'd start charging a higher price to recoup lost products?

Basically, region coding allows a company to distribute in multiple countries, while tailoring prices to the buying power of specific economies. Sure, some of the economically weaker countries will probably benefit slightly from banning region coding, but it comes at the expense of others.

Besides, region coding is a market problem. It's something that consumers can refuse. There's no lock-in; once the hardware's bought, it's bought, and region coding is typically no secret. Not to mention, there is a major region-free competitor to the Wii, so consumers already have a choice handed to them. The fact you don't like their choice is no reason to start banning.

So I guess this means Charles Barkley RPG is totally 100% legal? Actually, it probably was before this ruling, because of its price. (Free)

http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/22/fan-made-charles-barkley-rpg-sees-full-release/

I wouldn't mind seeing that on the app store. :P

I think that you hit on one really important idea there - there's a nice segment of gamers that don't care about the endless graphics hamster wheel. And while that sells consoles and games, this technology is getting so expensive to make that it's not cost effective anymore. That's probably why the consoles are moving to a cycle that's longer that five years - how long can the 360 and PS3 last?

Heaven forbid Trent Reznor says anything interesting or valid, but his interview with Joystiq discussing the Video Game industry really hits the nail on the head. Several times. The above idea is one of them.

They spent all that money to make all the awesome graphics for a game that many people play once and sell it back to Gamestop. Then the publisher complains about used game sales.

If game companies made games that last as long as say, Pac-man or Super Mario Brothers, then people will not only willing pay $60, but they will hang on to the game forever.

Trent Reznor gets it: Joystiq interviews Trent Reznor

Trent Reznor feels the same way about many games these days: Joystiq interviews Trent Reznor

A timeless game is well worth $45 or more. I have been finding old GBA carts that are selling for more than $45 if they are in good condition. Many of the "hardcore" games on modern systems are not nearly worth that price point. Wait a year and you will see how much the game is *really* worth.
It is amusing that game companies want to shut down used game sales. Maybe they should work on making timeless games with good content.

How clueless are you exactly?

Definition of Rape. Educate yourself.

You don't cite any examples of the "massive bribery," of course.

You obviously have paid no attention to how government works, or of the fact that it got so bad during the various copyright extension maneuvers that the dishonorable Howard Berman was alternately referred to by "D-Disney" or "The Representative From Hollywood" rather than by his own district.

You may want to look up the definition of "literally" before abusing it.
See above. You may want to go back to school and finish something further than the third grade.

Finally, you make the crazy claim that the characters have been "treated like shit for years," despite hugely successful film franchises like Spider-man, Ironman, the Hulk, and more as well as countless videogames and comic books spanning decades.

The ability for various places/entities to spin out garbage after garbage after garbage after shovelware does not indicate "success." In fact, Marvel recently admitted they had made incredibly choices in a press conference where Ira Rubenstein spoke the words "Actually, wait ... we are not doing crappy movie-based games anymore. You can quote me on that."

No sane system would throw beloved properties into the public domain and disallow the creators' estate to profit from the public's continued commercial interest in those properties.

Wrong. No sane system would make it so that those whose entire success is built on the pilfering, plundering, yes raping, pillaging, (insert other word of choice here) of the public domain, and then spending decades sending lawyers against anyone else who chooses to create something else based on the same public domain work on the basis of "copyright" or "trademark", can prevail.

The purpose of copyright is to, and I quote the constitution (which you no doubt have never read), "To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries." The "limits" today are so long as to be meaningless. They do not allow for the required return of writings and discoveries and art into the public domain; instead, they serve as a brake and impediment to progress. It says nothing about passing these on to "heirs", nor handing them as perpetual goods-of-sale to corporations.

Once you're dead, your writings should be in the public domain. Your kids want to get paid for writing something? Let them go learn to write and come up with something new on their own that is worth buying.

Not to mention the awesome package the cheque came it. What a great marketing piece. The people in an outrage are faking it or are morons. And to be clear, I hate many of the legitamately bad things EA does as much as the next person. This is not one of those things however.

EA Cheque Package Photos

This tells what is compatible with what. Unfortunately, it has not been updated to include GH5, but being a Wii, owner, I have found it useful.