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Gamecube Hits US Early
semaj writes "It looks like retailers are being told they can sell them as they come in instead of waiting for the November 18 offical release date. PlanetGameCube has the story. Go!" So, anyone want to get us a review unit or two?
looks liek i know where i'm going on my lunch break......
-shpoffo
...of Nintendo, in the attempt to get a jump on the xbox.
Of course, they might have been planning this all along.
I wonder what other interesting marketing tricks msft and nintendo have in store for each other.
Looks like someone is a little scared of coming out after the XBOX on Thursday. Will be interesting to see which ends up with a larger q4 sales.
"Not knowing when the dawn will come, I open every door." - Emily Dickinson
i know that here in canada, some of the smaller retail outlets are selling xboxes as soon as they get them (to people that pre-ordered).
2 new consoles and a major PS2 game (MGS2) coming out so soon from each other... places like walmart can handle that kinda rush volume, but smaller vendors wouldn't be able to take it. hence, selling stock as soon as it's out.
they know as well as us: this is gonna be one of the greatest console competitions we've ever seen.
i'm amazed that i survived - an airbag saved my life.
"Ce produit cause des maladies de la bouche"
Buyer beware. You'd be better off waiting until the new version comes out.
The games are from $5 to $25 on Ebay.
Does anyone else think that this might just be a little preemptive strike against x-box?? Maybe a chance to generate a little buzz with gamers, get some good reviews, and sway some buying decisions before microsoft unleashes their weapon? Gamecube now, or xbox later, I like the now option better, maybe they are banking on others thinking the same way.
Where's my lobbyist? Right here.
Obviously there must be a reason for the sucess, but I never buy game machines - I already have plenty of computing devices that can easily be used to play games.
If I'm away from home & desk, I generally have a book in my pocket (Marcus Aurelius typically) that can provide mental stimulation.
I just don't understand the appeal of these dinguses... so I guess this is a troll.
--Charlie
I called Wal-mart, KayBee Toys, Media Play, and K-Mart, and they're all sticking to the November 18 date. Some retailers don't even know about the "early release" part.
:P
Shall we slashdot the stores that have them, in meatspace? Post one here and start a rush!
-- http://frobnosticate.com
This way Nintendo is getting a jump on Microsoft's X-Box which is getting released on Thursday. Orginally the GameCube was supposed to be released on Sunday, but this way they should hopefully get a lead on the X-Box.
It has much better features
-----------------------
Moderator's essentials
I'm move concerned about reviews of the games (especially Metriod & Luigi's Castle) from new buyers than the system itself.
First hand accounts are my deciding factors on buying a new console.
Good quote, too many chars. Seriously, the slashdot 120 char limit sucks!
Please people - remember be kind to your local software/electronics store employees. This is likely to be a long week for quite a few of them with unaware management.
:^)
Ryan Fenton
I called all around, and not a single retailer had any idea what I was talking about. They all planned to stick to the 18th, and found it amusing that I was even asking if they would be selling early.
This seems to be the case pretty much everywhere, as I've been surfing Usenet and various message boards trying to find out where these alleged stores are. As far as I can tell, they don't exist -- not one person has posted credible information about a store selling GameCubes *anywhere*. Not one.
I have a feeling the date will get broken, but it hasn't been so far. I would love to be proven wrong -- if anybody knows of a store in the SF Bay Area which is selling GameCubes, speak up!
ZFS: because love is never having to say fsck
I hate to be a spoiler for this kind of great news, but...
I seriously considered all three of the latest consoles for me and my family. I was open to spending up to about $500 on game stuff, but I came to these conclusions:
But these are all pretty much irrelevant. The PC makes a great platform, and I already have a couple very good gaming machines. The PC has more titles, cheaper games, downloadable demos, and can and already is connected to the internet. I for one am seeing the console industry getting closer to the closed-up boxen that I loathe. I like building some of my PC's, and the console seems to be heading in that direction.
I am quite interested to hear what other Slashdotters think about just keeping their PC's (or getting a new one) instead of also getting a game console.
As much as I would like a GameCube early, I must admit that the only game on there so far that I'm looking forward to is Metroid Prime. Everything I've found says it's not coming out until 2002, so I guess that's when I'll be getting my GameCube. If anyone has any different information, let me know.
Things you think are in the Constitution, but are not.
The big deal is christmas sales. a couple days doesn't amount to shit. This "X-Box" vs. "Game Cube" thing isn't going to be settled by who comes out first, it's going to be settled by who has the better or more appealling gaming console.
Got Freedom?
Thinking?
Nice TROLL . No, really, I sincerely mean that.
Sure, I may get one of these newer consoles eventually. But who can deny the coolness of the Dreamcast. There is so much outside development going on for the little machine (emulation, linux, BSD, etc.) that there is still a lot going on for it. Before I buy any new consoles, I need to finish playing my 50+ Dreamcast games. Retail stores are closing out on Dreamcast software. Some of it is so/so, but most of it is great. There is something out there for all gamers and the prices are just right. It's too bad that little box didn't last, as the hardware abd games are still awesome. It's time for me to pick up a second machine for my computer desk.
Yeah, nothing like millionaires asking for free stuff, while the rest of us try to make the mortgage every month.
What makes you think you are special?
I dunno. Maybe it's just me. Maybe it's because I'm older than 12. But do gorwn adults actually enjoy playing all of the damned Mario/Luigi, and Pokemon games that are produced for Nintendo? It seems like all of the games are designed for little kids. On the other hand, PS2 has some incredible graphic, violent, adult games like Resident Evil: Codename Veronica and Silent Hill II. I have no interest at all in even considering a GameCube.
Or who spends more on marketing. Microsoft: $500 million for demo units, Taco Bell tie-ins (every fucking employee wearing an X-Box Tee), and a payola system to retailers to pump up X-box and not mention Gamecube vs. $60 million for a quiet rollout. As much as I love the Gamecube so far I think it's clear who will win the console wars. PlayStation 2 first, with X-Box close behind and the Gamecube faithfully bringing up the rear.
N4st0r, trixx0r h0bb1tz0rz! Th3y st0l3 0ur pr3c10uzz!
cygnuhchur
Anyone knows how they fought the first borg cube attacking earth in Star Trek ?
Owner of a Mensa membership card.
I just bought a dreamcast a couple weeks ago and love it.
I've spent about $300 so far and have got:
a new dreamcast
a 1 year warrenty
an extra controller
two visual memory units
street fighter alpha 3
soul caliber
chu chu rocket
marvel vs. capcom
shenmue
space channel 5
sonic adventure
resident evil: Code Name veronica
crazy taxi
jet grind radio
And i bought most of these at retail price.
now, while I am looking forward to my roommate getting the Gamecube for X-Mas, the dreamcast is just too good (and cost effective) to ignore!
(And Halo will play on my Mac sometime next year, i can wait.)
to me, the games for the Xbox are much more exciting than the games for gamecube. maybe it's because I'm primarily a PC gamer and not a console gamer... and games like Halo and Oddworld are PC like games. I really want to have an Xbox. But price might convince me to by another system, PS2 or Gamecube. PS2 if the price goes down enough after release of these two new consoles.
Please help! I'm stuck inside my virtual reality headset!
I am sure this is a marketing ploy by nintendo to beat x-box to market. THere are other reasons for this though. This cuts out the mad dash on the release date for everyone to run to the store and cause the panic that the PS/2 release. This also gives everyone a larger chance of procurring a gamcube and they will know well in advance of any possible shortages where they will have more time to crank of production...it may be a few weeks but they might be able to squeeze out a few more gamecubes if needed. X-box shot themselves in the foot by doing a US only release at first. If they had done their research a larger percentage of the population in Japan is more likely to buy a game console than in America. I personally am considering buying both systems.....It all depends on the games though....there is nothign compelling that "I have to play" coming out on either system that I have read.....what am I looking for from gamecube is Mario, Zelda, and Metroid....x-box will need to release somethign just as compelling...I have held off buying a PS2 waiting for a price drop which should happen after the holidays..and the fact the very few games that I wanted to play on it....currently the only reasons I want a PS2 is Gran Turismo 3 and Tony Hawk 3 multiplayer
Being in Europe, neither system will be released until after Christmas anyway, although I will wait until the first price drop before investing. I was also wondering what kind of "traditional media" coverage this was getting. Certainly over here the PS2 release made all the news programmes, but it was a different world then. Is the M$ XBox v the Japanese GC recieving any coverage? I would expect in the current climate that it isnt, and I wonder how that will affect sales? Any insights?
This is the worst sig ever.
I would probably never buy one if it wasn't for the exclusive titles on the GameCube. As a huge Metroid fan, I want to see what it's latested incarnation looks like. Luigi's Mansion is also one to watch. If it weren't for the games you can't get on a PC I wouldn't even look twice at a GameCube.
Shh.
But what about Europe , i am heading dates like Q4 2002 at this stage... its getting redulicious.
Also , with the XBOX and GC comming out , isn't it irion that sonys campain for the PS2 is call The Third Place.
Cruise TT
ive yet to play a game that does not run on win2k. Even older games who I thought might have troubles work fine.
-
I wish I could mod you up instead.
This is exactly the path we'll be adopting. We bought a Nintendo 64 which my wife is perfectly happy with (when she gets the time to play it anyway). I would have to talk her into buying a new console. But, why the hell would I buy one? The PC *is* a better gaming platform (expecially with my Athlon 1.2Ghz + GeForce 2 GTS rig + CABLE connection + ad nauseum). So that means I don't want a new console, my wife isn't ready for one, and our children are too young still to even care (if they ever do).
I love the look of Halo and other games coming out, but they're just not worth the $$$ of new hardware. Also, it seems wasteful to buy yet another console while we've still got a perfectly good and under-utilized one already. Combine that with a decent PC and no console for us.
Also - Is is just me, or are there just too many damn games coming out (PC and otherwise)???!!! I mean, I barely have time to finish the games I already have. I can ill afford the time spent on new ones. Maybe I should just crawl under a rock until I finish the ones I have. When I come out again, there should be a whole new lineup about 2 generations in quality further along.
Now, if Halo comes out in regular PC format, I may just jump at that. But that's the last one. Really..
I'm serious.
Really.
Please mod this post only if you think others should/n't read this. I have enough ego^H^H^Hkarma. Thanks!
hah, ps2 is practically dead already. and judging by the size of the xbox controller, no ones gonna play it. ... nintendo wins.
Seeing as both the PS2 and X-box are DVD players, I still don't understand why Nintendo elected to go with the 3 inch disc instead. If/when I decide to buy one of them, it'll definitely have an impact on my choice.
uh, i read somewhere Nintendo was having a combined $450 million dollar campaign for gamecube and gameboy advance ... marketing them together, so to speak.
Based on MS history, the X-Box will flop...
Nosce te Ipsum
Also, you have the 'sold out of Xbox, but still have cubes left' syndrome, where people may go looking for an X-box, only to be told 'we don't have any left, but we have a few gamecubes', its unlikely to happen, since IIRC Xbox has a slightly larger initial unit allocation, but again, it might happen.
Also, its no big deal for nintendo to do this really, its not like they need to ship out the cubes on a different schedule, they're just telling retailers to ignore the release date when they receive them and sell them as soon as they want.
And last, but not least, it generates a little extra press attention, much like when Sega started selling the saturn 3 months early back in '95.
Maybe this is more of an Ask Slashdot question...
I'm sure you'll find that most trolls started out as "legitimate" posters who were disgruntled by editorial ineptitude and abuse of the moderation system. (Oh, and don't forget JonKatz. (Speaking of which : "Comments are owned by the Poster", where's by royalty check, bioootch?!!!))
Let the moderation system handle the problem, don't read below (score:1) if you don't want to see the trolls. (That includes the editors resisting the urge to "moderate" posts they don't like.)
Personally, I'm more concerned about the mob mentality around here. I don't have an answer for that problem, though.
THANK YOU! We're getting swamped here at EB with inane requests and frankly the ninetieth time we tell the *same* person "November 15th or 18th" is a bit excessive. If I could mod the parent up, I would, I would, a thousand times I would. I plea for patience. And cookies, or a soda. ^_^
"Why Subscribe?" Good question...
one other thing about release dates, you have a crapload of stuff sitting around in a warehouse taking up space, it was really bad when the "next generation" of computers rolled out...
"we have 50 computers that just came into our recieving dock and they have to sit here for a week?!?"
Thanks to file sharing, I purchase more CDs
Thanks to the RIAA, I buy them used...
- Even if the hardware is good :
- you don't know if the development will be good (remember the first PS2 games),
- you don't know if its presence on the market will be sufficient to have a good game offer
I'd rather prefer to wait some weeks after its diffusion to know if it's good enough to spend my money in (of course if everybody is doing like that it will never happenMaybe I'm paranoid or "geeky-minded" enough, but at least I'm really happy with my choices doing it this way.
The word at EB is that if we break street date on ANY new product (not just GCN, but MGS2, X-Box, or the like) we (the company, and most likely the individual store) get fined $100K. The reason for this is that when you spend millions on an ad crusade fixated on one date and the (game/machine/widget) comes out early, the campaign is immediately wasted. (Nintendo/Microsoft/Konami) doesn't want their entire ad budget to go down the toilet all at once, so they impose these fines. It may be strongarm tactics, but hell, it's not like it's price fixing or something worse. I say if they want to build suspense-- and that's exactly the reason for street dates-- then let them.
Besides, it's not like there're really going to be any left for walk-in sales anyway...
"Why Subscribe?" Good question...
Here's the same story on IGN.
You can't take the sky from me...
Sure, Hemos, I'll get you a test unit. Just mail me a check for $225, and I'll run right out and get one for you. Heck, for an extra $50, I'll even keep it for a few weeks and do all of the testing for you.
Microsoft announced that retailers may begin selling the Xbox, yesterday.
Troll Tuesday 2001.
--The Mess
I won't have a chance to go get one until Sunday the 18th.... but if they start selling now they'll be sold out by then! Argh! Irony!
Check out the emulation scene on the dreamcast. Imagine ALL the old NES games on one disc.
www.dcemulation.com
- You can now hook up a USB ethernet/modem device to a PS2 and play Tony Hawk 3 online.
o duct.asp?pf_id=210436
- Sony's official modem/ethernet accessory and 40 GB hard drive are both out in Japan.
- You can get a Zip Drive for PS2
http://www.ebgames.com/ebx/categories/products/pr
Men believe what they want. - Caesar
Based on MS history, the X-Box will flop...
Did I miss something? What other than Microsoft Bob has Microsoft failed miserably?
_______
I just wish I could c:\format Internet
Try playing PowerStone 2 on your PC. You can't because:
1. The game will never be available for the PC.
2. Virtually no PC game allows head-to-head play without everyone owning their own PC and then networking them together.
3. Even if all of the above were satisfied you can't crowd 6 people around a 17" monitor.
4. Even if you could, most people don't have couches and tables around their computer for spectators to watch them game.
The PC may have more titles but consoles have different titles. When are you going to see Gran Turismo 3 on a PC? How about Shen Mue? Crazy Taxi? Dead or Alive 3? Devil May Cry? Metal Gear Solid 2? Mario Party 3?
Most of those games don't have any comparable counterpart on the PC platform.
You buy a console because you want to play the kinds of games that come out for consoles. Just like I don't buy a console because I want to play a good RPG...those are usually only available on a PC.
I can't easily pack up my tower, 19" monitor and throw it in the car if I want to go to a buddies house to play NHL200x.
The consoles are portable. *Really* portable. Throw 'em in a backpack and you're ready to roll. If that's not important to you, then don't buy one. I'm going for a game cube when they come out-with 4 controllers. I can't play my pc with 4 people at the same time (online Quake3 doesnt' count). I don't mind if people bang my controlers around if they're pissed cause I just got my 12th touchdown. I can buy more - they're cheap. I don't mind if buddies spill beer on the controller, or console or games - they can buy me another one - they're cheap.
I love consoles. I for one will keep buying them.
It depends on what you look for in a game. If you consider yourself mature because you like "incredibly graphic, violent, adult games" (although I think that would classify you as immature in most people's books) then you are correct in Nintendo not designing its games that way.
:)
But there are 3rd party games. You do know that Resident Evil is a game cube exclusive now?
Nintendo's games are aimed at kids because kids play games for a different reason than teenagers (or adults as they like to be called in marketing; I don't know how many adults really find being a zombie hunting vampire in a dark game with cheesy blood splatters all that appealing, but the 12-20year old
"adults" sure love it). Kids want a fun game and Nintendo games, if you can get passed the cartoon kiddie graphics are generally fundementally fun. Mario Golf and Mario Tennis may have artwork that appeals to pre teens instead of teens, but they are damn fun.
Teenagers seem to have to show they are more mature than younger kids and gooble up games that feature undead mutant aliens instead of Mario just because of the theme, even if the game is actually pretty bad. Now there are lots of good games that feature violence like MGS, I'm not saying they are all bad. I'm saying teenagers are much more forgiving about the game itself if it has a mature theme.
Pokemon is one of the best RPGs of all time. Its a shame that most adults miss out on it because they're worried they'd sound silly telling their friends at work they stayed up all night playing Pokemon. They'd certainly have their work cut out for them to explain that its actually a good game, not just a cute mascot.
As a teenager I too rejected Nintendo for Sega and then for the PS1. But now, looking back, Nintendo had some great games that I wish I had played. I'll be getting a Game Cube this era for sure because I don't want to miss out on Nintendo's *fun* games, even if they aren't *cool*. Does this mean I'm now actually an adult?
You want the Panasonic version due out in a few months in Japan, and probably sometime next year in North America.
From employees in two different chains in Salem, NH: They are not allowed to sell early. in fact, Nintendo has a special hotline set up to report stores that are selling early, and the sales reps for those stores will get fired if the thing is sold early.
Dunno if this is out-of-date bullshit or up-to-the-minute rumor-quashing... doesn't mean I won't check the stores at my local mall when I get home.
A colleague imported one from Japan with the 3 launch titles (Wave Race, Luigi's Mansion, Super Monkey Ball). He got Pikmin as well. He modded it two weeks ago (a simple switch) when US games (in particular Rogue Squadron) became available so he could play them as well.
All of these games are superb. Highly recommended.
The cube is suprisingly small as well. IMHO a lot nicer looking than the x-box. You could easily modify it to become a portable console.
StrutterX
for Halo on the mac.
Until then I'll have to (here it comes) console myself until then.
(grin)
If it is not on fire, it is a software problem.
Sure it's neat, but save some money and get a Dreamcast. You can buy DCs on Ebay all day for $40. It has some great games like DOA2, Soul Caliber, NBA2K1, Crazy Taxi (a classic), and Shenmue.
I've got a Spectrum 48k you can have governor - 2 dollars, with all the roms you could want. Obsolete but cheap technology all the way!!
great, I'm having enough trouble getting work done as it is with all the n64's and ps2's in my dorm. now the productivity's really going down the crapper i guess
I never said I was smart, I just said I was smarter than you
Metal Gear Solid 2 is out very soon. X box and Gamecube are insignificant compared to the Power of Kojima
Based on MS history, the X-Box will flop...
But the X-box 3 (or would that be the Z-Box) will actually be playable. Just in time for X-mas 2006
No, it's going to be settled by parents looking to buy a new video game system for their kids.
The Gamecube is almost half the price, has Mario, Pokemon, Zelda, and all the other standard kid's games. It's also brightly coloured. Believe it or not, parents have mentioned to me how "cute" the thing looks. I work in electronics at Walmart, so I know a teeny tiny bit about what parents are really looking for.
The X-box is almost double the price of the Gamecube and has absolutely no kid's games.Apparently, it also looks "ugly".
If you were a parent looking for a big christmas gift, which one would you get for your kids? Later on, maybe other factors will come into play, but the first round in this war will be won by parents looking to placate their kids. And if the Gamecube crushes the Xbox early on, which one do you think developers will flock to?
how am I a troll? Now to earn my trolliness I'm going to post a link [goatse.cx]
First off, let me tell you that I am biased, I have a PS2 and about 15 games (and about 30 or so PS1 games). That said, I am not looking to buy either a X-Box or Gamecube.
Ok, now that I have that off my chest, I would like to declare the current state of affairs in the gaming world:
The lineup.
- PS2 has already won among those 16+ (adult gamers).
- Nintendo will always win with kids under 16 because it's their parents who buy it for them. Nintendo is going to trounce X-Box in X-mas sales.
- MS has a place, but it's a shame that for now it's going to be last. X-box reminds me of Nader, because you know he's not going to win, but he's going to take votes away from someone else. in this case, taking sales away from PS2. X-Box is the other console geared at 16+ crowds.
For the sake of brevity, I'm going to leave Gamecube out of the rest of this discussion, Nintendo knows their target audience and how to market to them, bravo for them, they aren't going out of business anytime soon. X-Box however has a LONG road to travel, uphill, in snow. The PS2 is already beginning to release 2nd generation titles and is slated to release additional hardware/mods to their console soon (I believe it was Q1 2002, if anyone knows the exact timing, let me know). X-Box has still yet to prove itself as a worthy contendor to any console.
Christmas shoppers and Terrorists.
Another blow to the X-Box is also their strong selling point, games geared towards adults. Well, a year ago, many parents might have turned a blind eye to video game violence that their kids ingested, but now we have evil terrorists and we have to protect the children. Chalk that round up to Gamecube and their family oriented games.
The conclusion.
Gamecube will take the sales lead this season, with *gasp* X-Box right behind them. Sales of games for PS2 will be astronomical though as many buyers are now asking for titles instead of units.
Hammer of Truth
Even though Bungie is owned by Microsoft (who want to sell as many XBoxes as possible, I'm sure), they swear up and down that a PC version of Halo will be coming RSN(tm).
I have a question about this.. everyone says the Xbox is faster in cpu and graphics. i dont understand why because the Gamecube has a 400mhz 128bit cpu and the Xbox has a intel 733? thats only 32bit... So wouldnt the Gamecube be 4x faster becasue its 128bit? and for the Gfx cards.. the Gamecube can do 8 hardware lights to the 4? that the Xbox has.. So can someone plz tell me why everone is saying the Xbox is faster..
These days I just can't understand the hooplah about a console release... A year after launch every single review of every game for every single console compares the games to the "first generation" games and the second gen games almost always kick the asses of the first gen games!
So... Why is everybody so anxious to get their hands on it? Might as well wait a year or two until the hype calms down, the prices drop, and there's a good library of quality games for the system.
I'm the kind of person who didn't believe Episode I was coming out until I purchased a ticket, so I'm not holding my breath.
After calling some local places and a Nintendo rep, I'm not so sure of this rumor either. As near as anyone I can talk to, it appears as though this is a rumor *only*. Most stores I've talked to *do* have Luigi's Mansion in, but they aren't allowed to sell them until the 18th.
If this does turn out to be true, I'd like someone to post a copy of the receipt/image of the box somewhere for proof. As near as I can determine...not yet.
Of course, I could be wrong.
52 Weeks, 52 Religions with John Hummel
I just called EB in my area KW/Ontario/Canada, and they havn't heard anything about being able to release the cube early. This article got my hopes up!
When was the last time you honestly paid for a game?
- If This Peace Is Fictious, I Shall Destroy It
Why is this such a big deal? Both of these systems are mega-hyped, and will undoubtedly both sell out, regardless of a few days difference between the two. The only effect this move might have is making the systems sell out faster, cause if you went to the store to buy an Xbox, but they were all out, you might just pick up a Gamecube instead, and vice versa. You can't increase sales beyond the number of units you can make.
Shockwave Flash movies are the greatest thing to happen to non-sequitur humor since Japan.
DC:
...
- Very cheap, lots of games already, hackable
- Good games: Crazy Taxi, Jet Grind Radio, Grandia, Skies of Arcadia, Sega Sports, and many more
- Obsolete
- If you don't own one, go spend a few bucks just to have one
PS2:
- Overdue for a price break
- Coming on strong (it was really weak at launch)
- Good games: Gran Turismo 3, Grand Theft Auto 3, Tony Hawk PS 3, Metal Gear Solid 2, Devil May Cry, and a few more
XBox:
- Pricey
- DVD drive, but still need the DVD kit to play movies
- RJ45 out of the box
- HALO HALO HALO
- Good games: Halo, (not much else)
- Some decent exclusives: Dead or Alive 3, Panzer Dragoon Saga 2
- Microsoft isn't half the game developer that Nintendo, Sony, or Sega is.
Gamecube:
- Nice price
- No DVD (probably a piracy concern, so go with propriatary format)
- No network out of box (but should have something up and ready soon for PSO)
- Good games: SW Rogue Squadron, Pikmin, Wave Race
- Many hot titles next year: Zelda, Metroid,
I personally think DC had a great launch when it came out with Soul Calibur and Sonic, but the system never really took off. Gamecube and XBox only have 1 great title each (SW and Halo), but not much else. PS2 would be really impressive for $200, but $300 is still high for a 1 year old system.
It's a really tough call between XBox and the cube, right now I would say XBox is in a better position. But I think Nintendo is gonna do better in the long run, mainly because Nintendo has constantly turned out the best video games.
It'll be interesting to see who wins out this holiday season.
Microsoft has never released a successful product on the try.
On the other hand, they are remarkable capable of throwing money at a bad solutions endlessly so that by about version 3, they have a successful (not necessarily a high-quality) product that gives them a monopoly.
Nosce te Ipsum
Just wondering...is there anyone else out there whose console-buying decisions are based wholly on which system the next Final Fantasy comes out on?
Another aspect of console games, especially Nintendo games, is that a lot of the games are released exclusively for that platform. Remember when "Zelda Ocarina of Time" was released? That single game was responsible for many Nintendo 64 purchases. I know you can play some of these games on the PC through an emulator, but I have yet to see an emulated game for the modern game systems play as well as on the console they were made for. So when Nintendo releases the next Metroid game I will be one of the first people in line to purchase a Game Cube. Right now there isn't enough software or a killer app (Halo will be released on PC eventually) for either of the systems to warrant a purchase. Rogue Leader does look quite good, but not a must have.
My French is a little rusty, but doesn't this say, "This product causes mouth sickness?" If it does, I'm confused.
Kevin
Well, alot of people think it is just rumor however nintendo.com has their online store selling parts and accessories already (and it wasn't selling a few days ago).
PS2 has some incredible graphic, violent, adult games
A have always thought the concept of graphic violence as an "adult" theme way laughable. That seems more like a concept teenage boys would like. If you really are mature, do you *actually* play video games rated "M for mature"?
I (as an adult) enjoy the flavor of Nintendo games as inoffensive escapism. Mario and Zelda are safe enough that me, my mom, and my kids can play together. Software shouldn't have to contain copious amounts of blood and nudity to escape the "just a kids game" label.
As of this morning, Funcoland, where I am employed (and by extension, Gamestop, Software Etc., and Babbages, who are owned by the same corporation) have had no official notice of a change or relaxation of the November 18th street date.
However, if true, this would not be the first time that Nintendo made only a half-hearted effort to hold retailers to a street date. Pokemon Gold and Silver were distributed with a "Suggested Street Date," but Nintendo reps made it clear that units could be sold as soon as they were shipped.
--
gnfnrf
Remember the Sega Saturn?
:)
:)
:) Let's just hope it doesn't end up like the post Atari years...
The system that failed primarily due to being difficult to program for? Funny how Sony beat the Saturn and will now fall pray to the same defeat.
The PS2 is hard to program for, the XBox and Gamecube are both easy. How much you want to bet that games are now made for XBox and/or Gamecube and then ported to the PS2, meaning no more heavy duty PS2 games like Metal Gear.
I also fine it funny that a lot of MS bashers are pro X-Box. I was actually a little X-Box until I saw the Gamecube in action, that and their new approach towards older gamers (if u think they are still kids only, you haven't bothered to check out their advertising or their line up).
Let's also take in account MS near snubbing of the Japanese market and with MS's problems in the UK, they are going to have a tough enough time as it is and no company can win with only the American market.
Nintendo's only major fault so far has been a disinterest in 3rd party development (a key to the PS longevity), this has also been MS strong point so far. Nintendo has smartly been going after the older market and with Sega doing a lot on the Gamecube (Phantasy Star Online will probably be the first online game of the three systems), my bet is Nintendo won't be going anywhere anytime soon. If they can capture both a younger market and older market (why can't a game system do both?) they will most definately win this battle.
Competition is great and gaming will become better and cheaper (funny how MS doesn't take this approach with their software as easily as it does here). I also notice MS taking more of the low road in anti-marketing, mentioning that the football in their football game has more video memory then all of gamecube (whatever), and really trashing the PS2.
Only downside is there has never been 2 systems successfully competiting at once.
In dealing with the major video battles...
We had Atari, Intellivision and the not as successful Coleco. (which was still a great system
We had Nintendo and Sega for 8 bits (good time for gamers
Then we had SNES, Genesis and the short lived TurboGraphix.
Atari Jaguar also came out at some point in here and failed miserably.
Then we had the PS, Saturn and N64 and came along the short lived 3D0.
At this time 3D0 kicked out early, and Sega was starting to hurt.
We then had the Dreamcast and PS2 (sega folds).
And now at this moment we have XBox, GC, and PS2.
Highly doubt that 3 can survive (most have the same games anyway), there just isn't enough market share. The PS2 and XBox are both leaning towards 'home entertainment' to get more audience, but it just isn't going to happen anytime soon. XBox is going for hardcore gamers, but most hardcore gamers I know use their PC and will continue to do so.
I'm going Gamecube since I know Nintendo isn't going to go anywhere soon and I know their games are quality and going to continue to be so. I fear that PS2 and Xbox are more in neck and neck and I don't feel they will both survive (especially since they are going for the same specific market)...
Anyway it turns out though, it's going to be fun to watch
much like when Sega started selling the saturn 3 months early back in '95.
:)
We all saw how well THAT worked!
I've had enough abrasive sigs. Kittens are cute and fuzzy.
I modded it up for you. Now, where's my free XBOX? :)
Gamecube: dozens of kids games; "cute" == kids market sewn up
Xbox: no kids games; "ugly" == looking to take on PS2 in 'adult' market
What scares me is how many people I know who ordinarily slag M$ develop Homer-like drool when discussing the Xbox... I simply don't understand how a cut-down Wintel machine can turn grown adults into blathering Billiclones.
On a related note, unconfirmed reports suggest that "Return to Castle Bluescreen" will be one of the Xbox's most prestigious launch titles.
I just came back from a spree of hitting all of the stores nearby (I work near a major mall in Atlanta, so I was able to hit them all on my lunch break.) Most of them laughed at me when I asked, except for the Walmart. Now, I'm not too sure if the guy was BS'ing me or not, but he said they were selling some (it was rumored they were at another store) but once they heard the story was posted here they stopped selling them voluntarily, so they would still have some leftover for the official launch on Sunday.
First time I've ever heard of the Slashdot Effect on a brick and mortor store, that's for sure.
Probably in the pile with the rest of the broken ones that've been shipped to stores nationwide. *Sigh*
The problem was that compared to the playstation, the saturn had greater problems than its release date. It was doomed from long before the release, it just took alittle while for the public to realise it. Even then, it wasn't really Sega's fault that the design was flawed, the playstation represented a fairly major shift in how consoles were designed, and how developers attacked the problems of console development. The playstation made console development much more inline with PC development, whereas the Saturn had a more traditional 'you really need to hit the metal to get the best performance' console approach, compared to Sony/Psygnosis's developer-friendly set of (already well known, gcc based) tools.
Utter bullshit. Microsoft has released tons of successful products on the first try. The phenomenon you're thinking of is that the quality sucks — the sales have rarely beeen a problem — until version three, by which point the quality blows the competition away. Luckily it looks like they got the quality part down right on the first try for the Xbox.
Hey, I know, go buy one like everybody else! What a concept!
To them, XBox might look "cool" rather than "ugly", and the games are certainly more oriented their way. Have you seen the recent ads for Dead or Alive 3?
Why would anyone engrave "Elbereth"?
The problem with that is that the Xbox gets the big Thursday splash of free publicity in the news about people stampeding to finally get their hands on an Xbox, making it look like some gotta-have product. If Nintendo's going to trickle out the original Cube sales, they have no such story. Of course, I don't think a few days earlier or later will have much of an effect either way, since I'd hope that most people already know which one they're going to get &mdash the $100 price difference would have a lot bigger effect to me than the release schedule.
That said, if I get one, it's going to be the Xbox, and possibly on the release date. I haven't had a console since about 1990 with the NES, and I'm starting to get into the hype a bit, wanting to see all this stuff up and running on my home entertainment system. Hey, sometimes you just wanna have a nice fun toy to slack around with. :)
You failed to realize that Sony has a huge investment in DVD movies and movies in general. If you buy a PS2 and it has DVD capabilities, chances are you won't buy another piece of hardware to play DVDs. That's good for Sony because it's already eliminating one part of their competition. It's also good for Sony because you'll either be renting or buying DVDs now, and one way or another they'll get a percentage of your cash.
Grand Theft Auto III. I'm sorry, but that title couldn't be as good as it is without the blood, sex, and black humor.
Just because it's bloody doesn't make it good, but it doesn't make it bad either.
I too do not understand this xbox being faster talk. Hmm lets see a register starved X86 based processor based on the Celeron, vs a custom IBM built 485mhz modern chip designed specifically for gaming. Let's see is a 250mhz increase enough to counteract a better design, I do not think so. I tend to believe that general purpose parts are better in multipurpose machines. MS is retarded for using general purpose parts for a single use item. The pc is complicated and should not be used as a console. I and others have seen crashed X-boxes at a few stores, while the game cube keeps going. As for the ATI video, it is ART X and was designed for consoles.
I have had almost every game that Bungie made, back from their crappy "Operation Desert Storm" game, Minitaur, Pathways into Darkness, as well as the entire marathon series. I implore the Mac community not to support them any longer.
Bungie got started on the Mac and owes everything to the Mac community that supported it. It could not get a good foothold into the PC market with Marathon 2, yet Mac users continued to pay them big bucks.
Now, Bungie has sold out to the evil empire and HAD SERIOUSLY CONSIDERED NOT BRINGING HALO TO THE MAC, DESPITE THE FACT THAT MUCH OF ITS DEVELOPMENT WAS DONE ON THE MAC.
It later agreed to it, but it will probably be a crappy port instead of a native program, which could make it run much, much slower.
Bungie probably won't ever release any more Mac software after Halo.
There's lots of better companies out there that have promised to support the Mac platform, like Id. RTCW looks like its going to be very cool.
It just makes me sick.
Yeah, right. Microsoft will put those other tiny companies right out of business. Which would be bad because, you know, Sony would never try to be a huge control-freak media monopoly.
By the way, where did you hear that Microsoft isn't getting royalties from third-party Xbox games? Or is that just your own conspiracy theory?
I agree with the gist of your comment, but I have to take exception to your assertion that chess is equally enjoyable for kids and adults. Most kids (and even most adults) don't really play chess; they simply move the pieces. There's a large gulf between playing the game and shuffling pieces.
And that's exactly why you should wait for the new version.
-=o
I'm with you on moderation unless an account is cracked. At that point it's time to bring in the authorities and have the person who broke into said user's account arrested. Now, I don't have any evidence that this guy's account was actually cracked, but I do remember the poster from some time back and don't think he would have posted that kind of crap on his own. Maybe I'm wrong.
/. and I like the service Rob et all are trying to provide. And frankly, I find the perjorative sexually explicit material regularly posted about them pretty damn offensive.
Re: editors moderating posts down they don't like: Hell, Rob and VA OWN this service. They can do any damn thing they please. As far as I'm concerned I'll take editorial error by the staff over these obnoxious trolls out to destroy the forum any day. I like
Again, JMO.
And just a classic, would be the Anti-trust action brought against them, if they did this.
"Politicians are interested in people. Not that this is always a virtue. Fleas are interested in dogs." P.J. O'Rourke
Good comment. I think you have some really good points. I myself think the ultimate machine will be able to take the advantages from the PC and put them in the console. They are getting closer with online play, although it is ironic that the only console that has proven it could be a success online is also the console that is being given up on (dreamcast)....And as far as storage goes -- people are steal paying up to $30 bucks a pop for a precious meg or 2 to save all stats and positions, etc.....except the xbox and the hard drive may put a stop to that.
The ultimate hybrid in my eyes:
Broadband & Modem: Standard right out of the gate
Storage: Regular compact flash (a hard drive makes it to much like a PC)
Keyboard & Mouse: USB...Can anyone imagine playing quake or warcraft with a control pad?
Video: VGA optional and supported with all games (as with the DC)
Any other ideas?
(+1 Funny) only if I laugh out loud.
When will people realize -- Nintendo doesn't need to market to the adult market -- most of them GREW UP to Nintendo.
Many adult gamers spent a significant chunk of their lives squashing goombas, blasting Ridley, or nailing Gannon.
They remember how superior early Nintendo systems were to the old competitor consoles.
Nintendo is very smart to make their games have a "childish" spin. Its called the nostalgia factor.
And its cheap enough that they might as well get it.
I still think that a SNES provided a better gaming experience for its time that the PS did. SNES had stable, FAST, easy to load games.
I found that PS was slow to start, had games that stopped in the middle of the game to load ( which took forever) and had games that crashed more than they should have.
I think most older gamers have loyalty to Nintendo, and that those who switched to PS will miss some of the conveniences that Nintendo consoles provided, and the more enjoyable games, and will return to where the real fun is -- Nintendo.
wait, why am i excited. i don't have a job to afford swaying away from my PS2.
anyway, it's more fun to do than worry about another plane crash.
bah. start over
So, if stores do have to stick to the launch date (Sunday), does that mean everyone who's getting theirs in the mail will have to wait an extra day and get it on Monday? Man, that'd ruin my weekend and drive me nuts at work.
Wait for an Xbox. The graphics really are *that* good. The gamecube games that I saw were not very impressive and it looked like nintendo had its usual audience lining up to play the demo unit (kiddies).
That is a very good question. I think that it will moderately hurt nintendo's sales, but I think it will improve their software per system sales. If every system is sold at a loss that may be more important. Also I think you will find more developers siding with the GC if they think it will be less pirateable.
I think it will be a give and a take.
That's precisely what it says.
I just spotted SSX Tricky at my local Target store last night!!!
Well I do not if that is true that the kids are a small part of the market. Look at the Gameboy it is the best selling game machine in history and AFAIK the big bulk of that market is children. So the Gameboy Advance is tied in to the GameCube, it has Mario and a whole bunch of kids games and it is cheaper. So you have the parents in the crunch of the nag oh oh I have a Gameboy Advance now I want a GameCube and then you have the price as well as the "cuteness" factor. If you really don't believe children are a large part of the market go shopping and see how crowded all the kids stores are during the Thanksgiving weekend etc...
...not in any way shape or form. I don't get to add up all the bits in my PC to come up with a number. My PC is a 32bit machine regardless of the other chips floating around in the box.
Vermifax
Logout
Incase people haven't realized yet, Nintendo's version of the GameCube is utterly useless. Nintendo has proven once again their inability to support standards and instead run off and stick with their own proprietary media. The N64 had the same issue, but if you were lucky enough to pick up a development model, you could've grabbed a base that'll read cd's. Cartridges are best left in systems where low power consumption is a must.. and for things like the GBA, they work great. Anyways.. the point of this post.. Panasonic ended up licensing the GC from Nintendo awhile ago.. and they did their own version of it which supports not only the ultra-lame native media of the GC, but also DVD's. This version of the GC has been floating around japan for awhile, and is already available for import.. (see lik-sang). Anyone wanting a GC that doesn't totally suck should either wait for a US release of the panasonic gc, or just import one.. cost is about the same..
IIRC, Sega began selling its ill-fated Saturn in a surprise, early release before the PlayStation debuted in the U.S. They did this at least in selected markets, because I bought one in Philadelphia the day they went on sale (I really liked Virtua Fighter). It could be argued that Sega, then a reigning home-system champ with the Genesis, was nervous about a newcomer and wanted to grab a market foothold.
Seems like Nintendo is now the nervous incumbent, trying to grab the bucks of people dying for a next-gen system and willing to buy the first one that comes out, and who will be unable to afford to buy a competitor's subsequently-released system.
~Philly
IIRC, the Saturn was introduced at a ridiclous price of $500 or something. When Sony shipped at a lower than expected price, they had to drop it to $300. The early adopters were bitching and moaning about being burned.
So releasing early is not wise if your competitor can outflank you.
(Some people had so swollowed the hype that they bought Japanese import Saturns for $700. Gack.)
* "lite" as in diet. As in, you're not going to use your xBOx to create your own mods. You're not going to set up your own xBOx server for public deathmatches. etc.
$5 / month hosted VPS on linux = awesome!
I've seen more than a few posts along the lines of ..."I saw a demo for System X, and it looked _so much better_ than System Y! I'm going to buy System X because it's the best, cuz it has an 800THz processor and SuperMegaMagnaRamulon RAM!" I don't understand the popular belief that the console with the best graphical quality and CPU power will be the "winner". History does not support this... consider these consoles:
- Atari VCS/2600 vs. Intellvision, Colecovision, etc..
- NES vs. Sega Master System (even Atari 7600!)
- Gameboy vs. GameGear, Lynx, and TurboGrafx Express
- Genesis vs. SNES (though this was close)
- Playstation vs. N64
In all of these cases, it was not the quality of the graphics or the CPU power of the system that claimed victory for it. It was one or more of a few factors such as user base, marketing, and licensing schemes, not to mention management incompetence. I'm not saying who's going to be the winner in the latest console battle, but I am saying that it's silly to base a console's dominance soley on its CPU power and graphics quality. If anything, I'm scared that with Microsoft's backing, the XBox will crush everything else (eventually) and leave us with no choices in the marketplace.
Reason #1: Controls
... and on and on. These are all games from genres that still have not translated well over to the console. You can't pull off something on a console that requires any kind of controls more complex than up, down, left right, b, a, start. Keyboards and mice (!) are so much more condusive to ease of use and intuitivity of interface.
The reason most PC gamers don't own joypads is because PC gamers have long since matured past the simple platform jumper game style that consoles are so condusive to. The reason you don't see Mario64 on the PC isn't because of the lack of controlers to support it, but rather because most PC gamers have no interest in mindless platform-jumping games any more. Besides, speaking from experience, I use Project64 to emulate my old N64 games at higher resolutions and higher framerates on my PC, and the controls (keyboard) have never been a problem for me.
When I want to play a game, I want the most intuitive, powerful controls I can get. Thus far, the keyboard (100 or more buttons!) + mouse combination seems to work best.
Reason #2: Gameplay
If you like FPSs or strategy games, stick to the PC.
While console games do offer more choices than just simple platform-jumpers and fighting games, the range of genres simply isn't there. And when other genres try to move to the console, the control issue pops up. FPS, RPGs (Final Fantasy is not an RPG), MMORPGs, MUD/MUCK/MUSH/MOOs, RTS, TBS, sports games, puzzle games, and yes, even platform-jumpers are all available to PC gamers. On a computer you can play the Quake series, the Need for Speed series, the Diablo series, the Baldur's Gate series, the Myth series, the Rainbow Six series, the Unreal series, the Descent series (Freespace, too), the Myst series, the Tribes series, MS Flight Simulator, the Ultima Series, Elite Force, Half-Life, Deus Ex, Age of Empires, Homeworld, Starcraft
Reason #3: Audience
Only a few PC game companies, like Blizzard, have a large enough audience to justify multi-million-dollar budgets.
One of the things my English teacher always stated was that when you assert something you need to answer the question "So what?"
So what? So, as you say "only a few PC game companies" have huge budgets (somehow I doubt that's true). So what? What does that mean? Are you implying that low-budget operations can't produce hugely wonderful games? Well, since there are quite a few very great games out for the PC that come from various great companies (Bioware, Raven, id, Blizzard, Ion Storm, Monolith, Red Storm, Lucasarts, Gearbox, Legend, Croteam, Bethesda, etc) and by your statement "only a few" developement houses can afford to spend lots of money on games, one of two things has to be true: either you're wrong, and great number of companies DO have multi-million dollar budgets to spend on game developement; or you're wrong in your implication, and having a large budget has nothing to do with making a great game. Either way, you're still wrong.
Reason #4: Graphics
Console games look better, despite the fact that PCs are more powerful.
When they first come out, yes. This is true. (PC gamers who disagree, shut up, you know it's true; the XBox is glorious). But what happens when 6-12 months from now graphics on computers are on par or better than these presently new consoles? Unless you're a Playstation gamer who upgraded to a PS2, none of your old games carry over to a new system, so when M$ releases the XBox^2 in 2-3 years, you may not have a library of games ready for you yet. But PC games always look and play better on a new system. That's the rule. So while PCs are upgrading (I upgrade mine twice a year, usually at $100 a pop, but see my Counterpoint #1 for an explaination of why this is a justifiable expense for me. Either way, 6 months from now the PC will be on par with the XBox. Gawd help us a year from now.
Furthermore, graphics are a subjective thing... but when I run Zelda64 at 1024x768 @ 60FPS in 32 bit colour on my 21 inch monitor, I get goosebumps. Quake III STILL sends shivers down my spine. And the new games coming out for Christmas are even scarier in their detail. Try that with your TV and its pithy resolutions and low colour depths.
Reason #5: Experience
Most people I know don't have surround sound systems. Most people I know only have a DVD player for their computer. Most people I know have 19" monitors or larger.
I have a highback, Italian-leather executive chair that I got when I first built my PC. I have an Ottoman beside me right now. I have a Soundblaster audio card and two sets of speakers (two subs, for satellites) that give me over 700 watts of sound, 200 of which is bass. Yes, I get true surround sound. I have a DVD player. I also download DivX movies. I have a 21" monitor. My roomate and I are going to bring a couch down next quarter. My multi-media experience is excessive (and probably every bit as nice as what you can get with your own setup).
Reason #6: Party Gaming
Both console "parties" and LAN parties are niche events. But answer me this: when have you ever had a console party where more than 4 people played at once? Ever been to one with, I don't know, say 200 people playing all at once? Or even just 64? 32? LAN parties are insane, just because of the number of people playing at once. Even with 32 people in one game, you've exceded the console potential by 8 times. LAN parties are an experience. And the nice thing about multi-play (which you conveniently glossed over) on a PC is that you don't have to have your friends in the room to play. If I feel like playing a little Tribes 2 at 3am on a Monday night I can usually find a match online. It's not the same as playing in person, but it's better than playing by yourself. Try THAT with a console.
PC Counterpoint #1: Multipurpose Machine
PCs are not just designed for one purpose. They have MANY purposes. One of which is video games. Another of which is Internet browsing. Another of which is art work. Yes, the wonderful PC, which so many people in America own (it has a broader installed user base than any console you can name). Well, for the price of a relatively cheap upgrade, you can be set to play games on your system for the next 2 or 3 years. And since this cheap upgrade will increase the performance of other applications you run, you're obviously getting more bang for your buck. If I'm going to spend $1800 on a system for Internet access and word processing and such, why not spend $2100 or $2200 and get a sweet gaming system? Don't tell me it doesn't happen every day.
Also, I'm an artist. I'm an art student, learning 3D animation and film/video work. Why in the world would I want to spend an extra $300 on a console? I've spent the last 3 years tweaking my machine to perfection; I've spent nearly $4000 and hundreds of man hours on this bad boy. Why whore myself out to Ninetendo or Microsoft? I'm sticking with what I have and what will play my old (and new) games.
PC Counterpoint #2: Demoing Games
www.fileplanet.com
www.download.com
www.gamespot.com
Any game company with common sense offers a free demo of its game. I can procure any one of these, for free, over the internet. That way I get to sample the game and decide if it is for me. Try getting that for your console.
Oh, and don't tell me you need high speed net access. I still, to this day, download that stuff using Getright on a 56k connection.
PC Counterpoint #3: Replay Value
I just beat Quake III on the hardest difficulty. I know all the maps that shipped with the game by heart. I guess I'll just have to buy a new game.
Half-Life is almost 3 years old. No one plays that any more!
Is there ANY quality content out there for Star Craft?
Serious Sam is SOOOO hard to make levels for!
PC game companies are SOOO closed, they NEVER release developement kits or anything! What? No, I don't have a copy of the Half-Life SDK in my hand! No, Valve never mailed that to me personally when they first released it! No, I've NEVER had any contact with the developers!
/me switches out of sarcasm mode.
Face it. PC games are the king of replay value. You just can't beat them. Once you buy a PC game, you are (usually) buying several years of entertainment. And, if you're like me, you're also buying the right to make mods and levels for your favourite games in this bunch. I used to design sequels to Mega Man when I was 10, just because I loved that so much. But now I actually CAN make things for my games. You just simply can't top that.
Conclusion:
Both of the solutions (PCs, consoles) have their strengths, but for me, PCs simply can't be beat. There is almost nothing a console can do that a PC can't do as well or better. It's a personal choice, but for me there are too many more reasons to go PC than console, so in the end, PC gaming rules the day.
I'm not buying an XBox, or a Gamecube, or a PS2. The only situation that MIGHT cause me to buy an XBox is a pricetag of $200 that comes bundled with HALO. That, I would consider buying, and only if they DO NOT release HALO for the PC. =)
And that's all I have to say about that.
~Aaron
student of animation and the fine arts
Sure, they might not like dealing with the PS2 from a programming stand point, but those who have invested the time and money (i.e. EA, Konami, etc) are raking in the cash right now and will continue to do so for quite some time.
In that case that makes the X-Box try #2. Microsoft's first shot at the console market was the MSX machine from the 80's... which was somewhat successful everywhere except the US, oddly enough.
N4st0r, trixx0r h0bb1tz0rz! Th3y st0l3 0ur pr3c10uzz!
>Also, you have the 'sold out of Xbox, but still >have cubes left' syndrome, where people may go >looking for an X-box, only to be told 'we don't >have any left, but we have a few gamecubes', its >unlikely to happen, since IIRC Xbox has a >slightly larger initial unit allocation, but >again, it might happen.
Actually there are only 300K Xbox coming out, and over 700K Gamecubes coming out, so I'd say a 2:1 ratio in nintendos favor will give a lot of people the reason to buy.
Went to pick up my pre order for GAMECUBE @ Software Ect. in Oakridge Mall in South San Jose, after hearing on cube.ign.com that it was released and it was all for not. They even hadn't received their allocation of GAMECUBEs yet. The Manager did say she had hard about the early sales, and contacted her district manager about the situation, he told her the date is still the 18th and he would let her know if anything changes, after he gives a call to Nintendo of North America. I did however pick up Star Wars Rogue Leader (Rogue Squadron II) and put down a reservation for the Mobile LCD screen. My point is that GAMECUBE isn't just for kids i.e (Rogue Leader, Resident Evil, Phantasy Star Online Ver. 2, Rune, Skies of Arcadia), and I don't see anyone ells with a next generation Mobil solution for as little as the $350.00 hardware cost of a GAMECUBE + LCD screen. Try that PS2, and X-BOX.
P.S. they said their X-BOX kiosk was turned off because it kept rebooting for no apparent reason. I don't know about you but I'm not giving up $300.00 to any one who's product doesn't work.
Did you buy the PlayStation? It supported LAN parties with it's link cable.
The model of PlayStation being sold today (PSone, the one that looks like the console a Precious Moments person would use) lacks a link port. Even then, the old PlayStation link cable supported only two players.
Will I retire or break 10K?
What about Internet gaming? It would be no problem for me to get seven friends with at least a 17" monitor and a permanent Internet connection.
What if you and your friends live in an area that doesn't get cable modem service or DSL service? In that case, you would have to spend upwards of $200,000 per family to pack up and move to an area that offered high-speed connections. I'd rather pay $1000 for two 25" TVs, two N64 systems, six extra controllers, and two copies of Super Smash Bros. than $1.6 million to upgrade everybody to DSL.
Will I retire or break 10K?
I think I'll take a lesson from your English teacher and rebut your rebuttal with a big ol' "So what?"
... why do you have an emulator on your system so that you can play them?
...the range of genres simply isn't there [on consoles].
... what? Are you seriously suggesting that PCs have broader genre support than consoles? Okie dokie. I guess I'll go up to my PC and fire up a game of Dance Dance Revolution, and after that I'll play a good old light gun shooter like House of the Dead. Then, when I get tired of that, I'll play an RPG adventure, maybe something along the lines of Shenmue. Then how about a little old school platforming action like Mario 64 ... or maybe the newer Super Monkey Ball. Luigi's Mansion has a great PC equivalent, too. I just have no idea what it is.
It is a simple fact that consoles are much, much more popular than PCs for games. No amount of argument can change the numbers.
I offered an explanation of why that might be the case. You fire back with a bunch of "Nuh-uh! PCs rulez!"
I answer: "So what?" There are obviously a lot more people that agree with me than agree with you, and in the end it's just a numbers game.
I still can't resist the temptation to counter these points, though...
#1: The reason you don't see Mario64 on the PC isn't because of the lack of controlers to support it, but rather because most PC gamers have no interest in mindless platform-jumping games any more
You damn yourself out of your own mouth. Firstly, Mario 64 was hailed as The Greatest Game of All Time by a number of publications when it was released, which I think speaks to the "mindless platform-jumping" and "no interest" bit. Secondly, if you've outgrown these sorts of games
#2:
Bwuhhh
#3: So, as you say "only a few PC game companies" have huge budgets (somehow I doubt that's true).
No, I'm not 'implying' it, I'm stating it fucking outright. There are a bare handful of PC game companies which make serious money or can afford serious development. Console developing is infinitely more lucrative because the audience is bigger. Sure, I won't argue that games don't always need huge budgets to be successful, but the idea of something like Shenmue or Zelda being developed for the PC instead of a console is laughable. I like having my AAA+ titles, thank you very much, and much as I love Blizzard and Bioware I'd take Nintendo's efforts over theirs most days.
#4: blah blah blah computers are better
I don't know what market you're talking about, but most computers are four or five years old. Real people (i.e. not computer people) don't upgrade twice a year, or even once every two years. They run the old computer into the ground and then buy a new one which is already behind the times. That's just the way it goes. Most people still don't have computers which can render what the Dreamcast can, and that's two years old. Hell, I don't have a single game on my PC which looks as good as Soul Calibur, and I have a GeForce.
#5: Most people I know don't have surround sound systems. Most people I know only have a DVD player for their computer. Most people I know have
19" monitors or larger.
Wow, you must only associate with computer geeks. Every single person I hang out with has a surround sound system and DVD player, nobody but me has DVD on their computer, and fewer than half of them have 19" monitors.
blah blah blah my computer is awesome
Fine and dandy. Do you think that even remotely reflects the average person's experience? I work with computers and pull a six figure salary, and yet my computer only has stereo speakers because I don't really give a crap about it. I sunk the money into my entertainment system instead, and there are a lot more people doing that than adding surround sound to their computers.
Reason #6: Party Gaming
blah blah blah I love PCs
Fine, you're a PC gamer. I never tried to convert you -- I'm merely offering explanations for the fact that consoles are ten times as popular for gaming.
I don't give a rat's ass if you prefer PCs for gaming. Most of the rest of the world doesn't, and it sounds like you have a serious case of denial. I agree that some things about PC games are awesome -- I'm looking forward to Neverwinter Nights and Warcraft III as much as the next guy. However, 90% of the games I buy are for consoles, and that's pretty representative of typical behavior.
ZFS: because love is never having to say fsck
Ah, but the X-box ISN'T Microsoft's first try at putting together graphics development. Talisman immediately comes to mind, for example. And we've all seen how far Direct3D has come in five or six years.
Vintage computer games and RPG books available. Email me if you're interested.
Someone forgot the dismal effort of the Amiga CD-32.
Mario Party 3?
You answered your own question. Sometimes games such as Super Smash Bros. that use proprietary characters create more Fun than games such as q3a.
As for games *never* being available for the PC, that's what MS is trying to do with the Xbox
Will MS make a smash bros. clone? What about a mario party clone? What about multiplayer tetris (no, a port of the old 16-bit Windows Entertainment pack doesn't count) or dr. mario?
As far as head-to-head, uhhh how are you connected and reading slashdot? After all, /. requires readers have a pc and a internet connection too.
Some of us read Slashdot at a public library, and I don't think many libraries would take too kindly to patrons coming in and connecting their Xboxen or bringing q3a CDs.
3. Are the 6 people going to pitch in and help pay for the console?
Yes. Sometimes, especially with the under-18 crowd, four children pool their allowances toward a console and games.
Again, my point is that the console isn't worth one or two games.
Unless the child labor laws mandate that you be poor.
Will I retire or break 10K?
Deer Hunter
Who is this Anonymous Coward character, how does he post so much, and why is he always such a whore?
Unless you're a Playstation gamer who upgraded to a PS2, none of your old games carry over to a new system, so when M$ releases the XBox^2 in 2-3 years, you may not have a library of games ready for you....
You want to play your old games?!?!?
DON"T THROW AWAY YOUR OLD CONSOLE!!!!
Its american - why is that important? Because we have an american company advocating it and this has nothing to do with patriotism.
Go out and get a Playstation 2 or a GC - 90% of all the greatest titles for it reside in Japan where they will in most likelyhood stay - unless your brave or wealthy enough to hack up your PS2 or GC or buy the japanese version you'll not be playing these titles - ever. And for the most part its for lack of companies to release it in the US (although sega used to do this so they could boost the amount of titles availble for the DC). Come microsoft - I'd hope they would use their developers to bring cool video games to the xbox - and localize japanese titles.
Face it - SCEA and Nintendo America could really care less if there are really cool titles in the US. I don't know why, but there are like maybe on the outside edge of an estimate 65 titles for the PS2 - for a game console that has been out for a year in the US and 2 in Japan. There are thousands of titles for it in Japan, but like I said we'll never see these.
but there are open sores on it
bah dum bum
A must have game (the game compares to actually playing the movie in terms of Graphics and fun) that appeals to all ages. Only on Gamecube. Resident Evil, a title you seem to like, is also on GameCube.
e x p e c t d e l a y . c o m
Is Dell listed on your tshirt?
I bet it is.
Are these companies listed on your shirt? Oracle, Adobe, Sybase, Sun, Netscape, Apple, RealMedia, Palm, Intuit
Please post the current list of microsoft lapdogs. I haven't been paying attention to it since the original DOJ v. microsoft trial featured all the 'character witnesses' for the defendent.
According to Gamasutra.com the "Q" will not be available in the US.
d is play.php?story=768
http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/industry_news_
"Panasonic's "Q" Not for Sale in the U.S.
Panasonic announced that it would not be releasing a hybrid DVD player and Nintendo Gamecube video game console, set for a December launch in Japan, in the United States.
While the Gamecube itself uses a smaller disc than the standard DVD format and is unable to
play DVDs, its two main competitors in the U.S. console market, the Microsoft Xbox and the
Sony Playstation 2, both can play DVDs.
The Panasonic "Q" will be available in Japan on December 14 for $325."
I think is has something to do with the pastel color scheme that they always use, it makes everything look all childish
I went to the Nintendo Game Cube event in Dallas last night. It was composed of many large panasonic hdtv units and quite a few games. Free beer, free food. Not too bad.
After playing many of the available games and talking with a few folks, I was ready to go after an hour or two.
There was no game that was highly impressive, tho StarFox was very nice. The Star Wars game was good for the concept, but an old concept.
Units are tiny and very attractive. No VGA out so even on the HDTV set, due to their large size and the close viewing distance, you easily saw many pixel size induced problems.
With all of the disco lights and jazz/electronic music, it was very flashy and quite fun!
I've now concretely determined (imo) that the X Box is a noticably better unit. Now it's just a matter of price and popularity.
#1: Mario 64 was hailed as The Greatest Game of All Time ... when it was released ...
... why do you have an emulator on your system so that you can play them?
... the idea of something like Shenmue or Zelda being developed for the PC ... is laughable
... One might sell more, but check the quality. People have a habit of buying an inferior product if it's marketed better (*cough*Windows*cough*)
... However, 90% of the games I buy are for consoles, and that's pretty representative of typical behavior.
;)
Evidence? Nintendo Power? Gamepro? Give me a break. Everyone has learned to take those articles with a brick of salt. Ditto for PC publications, who continue to acclaim Half-Life as The Greatest Game of All Time. Whatever. There is no such thing. Besides, you speak of the days when PCs were coming into their prime.
Secondly, if you've outgrown these sorts of games
Because Miyamoto Shigeru is a god, and because Zelda64 is hands down the best adventure game I've ever played. Also, because my N64 is getting old (blowing on cartridges is a bitch and a half), and the games run better on my PC than they do on my N64.
#2: "... I'll play an RPG adventure, maybe something along the lines of Shenmue."
Yeah, I saw that; it brought back memories of the days of Elderscrolls: Daggerfall or -- more recently -- Ultima IX. Personally, I'm waiting for Elderscrolls III: Morrowwind. That way I can expand on what the game shipped as, by making my own stuff or downloading other people's work.
#3:
You're saying you can't have epics on the PC? Bullshit. Elderscrolls III: Morrowind; Baldur's Gate 2; Neverwinter Nights; Dungeonsiege; Fallout; Deus Ex. Or how about a game recognized by and played by millions? Doom. Microsoft Flight Simulator. Half-Life. Everquest. Myst.
But I'll say this: The idea of something like Asheron's Call or Everquest being developed for the console is laughable. Consoles weren't designed for MMORPGs (which, I admit, I don't play; I prefer their infintely more creative textual ancestors, MUDs/MUCKs/MUSHs/MOOSs that you can play on any PC with a modem, period). Sure, a MMORPG might have been released for a console, but I can't even recall the title, and I don't know anyone who plays it; on the otherhand, millions of people know what Everquest is, and some even play it.
#4: blah blah blah computers are better
Terribly mature.
That's just the way it goes.
My summer job is in a computer shop; I build computers for people who have "run the old computer into the ground" and want a new system. Over the summer we found that: a) most people who were upgrading were doing so because the barebones machine they bought last year isn't up to their standards; b) many of these people were interested in the "phenomenon" of PC gaming; c) most of these people were willing to pay $1500-1700 to get a machine two-three times better than a $1200 machine. 90% of the systems I built had GeForce2's on them.
#5: Wow, you must only associate with computer geeks.
Insults do not an argument make, grasshopper. Ignoring that, most of my associates are fellow college students, like myself. We're real people on real bugdets with real space constraints. And we're also the real people that make up a sizable chuck of the target demographic. If we can purchase computers that essentially do everything, we both: a) save the cost of a TV, DVD player, surround sound system, console game system, cable bill (no one has time for TV), and a stand for all of this. Say that ammounts to $1000, in total. In its place we purchase a $1800 system (and a desk for it) that plays games, has a surround sound system, a DVD player, and all that great stuff (I can name at least 4 people who did this, none of them computer geeks) We spent the extra $700, but we needed to buy the computer anyway (internet access, email, reports, etc), so really we saved a few bucks. Also, we don't have to find spaces to put all of that extra stuff; we have it all in our computer. Floorspace saved. It's practical. It's easy for the average consumer to understand.
blah blah blah my computer is awesome
Relative to my peer's systems, it's actually pretty average (950 Duron, GeForce2, 256MB SDRAM) but it still cranks out sweet graphics. I'm getting a GeForce III this Christmas, bit of a splurge, but I've held out for it. Just wait for HALO; compare the XBox version to the PC version
#6:blah blah blah I love PCs
Gloss over the LAN party argument, don't even grant me a conciet; that's fine, we both know who made the better case.
Most of the rest of the world doesn't [care if you prefer PCs], and it sounds like you have a serious case of denial. I agree that some things about PC games are awesome -- I'm looking forward to Neverwinter Nights and Warcraft III as much as the next guy. However, 90% of the games I buy are for consoles, and that's pretty representative of typical behavior.
I certainly accept that most of the world uses consoles, but I certainly will not grant you that this makes them better. Again, refer to the Windows - Linux duel. Which is a superior product, and why? The same goes for PCs v. consoles. Simply put, the PC offers better opportunities to gamers, but it isn't going to ever be half as successful as consoles. Why? For the same reason Windows always beats Linux. It all comes down to the end user. Arguments like yours, where you ignore, trivialise, or ridicule the points given if they significantly hurt your argument (I notice you essentially ignored my three counterpoints, and made a "blah blah blah" case out of three of my rebuttals to your claims), people who resort to personal insult when they see their insecurities coming forth (I won't beat around the bush: your insecurity = the fact that you know, deep down inside, that I COULD be right; else why resort to personal attacks?) people who blindly accept that "because everyone uses it, it must be good," etc. All of that stuff keeps the gamer in question from experiencing the realisation of true gaming potential.
I'm looking forward to Neverwinter Nights and Warcraft III
No, really most people don't fit into that demographic (upper-middle class? upper class?). Most people fit into my demograpic, the lower-middle class, people with money to spend, but not much. Almost everyone I know puts their money into either consoles or PCs, not both. (side note: Every single Mac user I know is a console gamer) The majourity of these people are PC gamers, as a result.
~Aaron,
Going to play some Counterstrike, or some Threshold MUD, or some Serious Sam, or (most likely) to work on my finals
student of animation and the fine arts
But with the numbers biased towards nintendo that way, there is a lot more sense for letting stores sell cubes early at their descretion - many stores will likely roll out the cube when they run out of xboxes, even those that claim to be holding to the 18th date.
Most of the people I know with Gameboy/GA Advance are adults. Then again, most of them are buying Gamecubes too...
I put it to you that most parents would shop at Walmart/Toys'R'Us & similar department stores, so they'll sell more Cubes, and I'd expect people working there to notice that. But places like EB will sell more XBoxen.
But, in the final analysis, who knows. Cheap & cute vs feature-laden & adult-oriented... still anyone's game, but you can't ignore the half-billion-dollar marketing budget behind the XBox...
Why would anyone engrave "Elbereth"?
Sony claims 20 million units. Of course, that's what's been shipped to retailers worldwide, not sold through to consumers. This is their press release. I realize Sony's numbers aren't the most trustworthy, but I think that with 20 million shipped, 10 million sold is not unrealistic. That's worldwide, not just in the US.
Don't forget that Friday is Hawaiian shirt day.
Hey don't forget the almight atari 2600. Where would gaming systems be without this pioneer? You can get this system on ebay too. I got mine for about $40 with 8 games. So, forget the xbox, game cube and ps2. Go with the classics!
How do you take a picture of the best moment of your life?
If I want to play a game, I want to have FUN. Configuring memory access or video drivers, etc. i snot my idea of fun. I like the idea of putting a CD/DVD in the game box, and pressing one buttton. It works first time, every time.
works fine for me every time... infact.. it may even be easyer.. I don't even have to put in a cd in my "game box" alot of the time.. I just click on ONE button.
..and what are you talking about, messing with configurations IS fun!
-bofslime
They're written for the pre-95 days.
-
Mario. Samus. Link. Falcon. Pikachu.
Sony hasn't won this one yet...
Send lawyers, guns, and money!
Sorry, Tony Hawk 3 for PS2 gets the honor of "first online game of the three systems." You can hook up a USB modem or ethernet adapter and do some hot online gaming action.
Sure a PC is great, for playing by yourself. But don't you like playing with more than one person? And I'm not talking about multiplayer over the net. I mean 4 people sitting around yelling about Golden Eye or Mario cart or any other such game. That is the reason why I prefer consoles to my PC for gaming.
Nintendo is targetting the younger (8-14) crowd; both Sony and MS are targetting the older (14-24) crowd. Nintendo will survive; watch out for Sony.
I have to disagree on the whole 'PS2 is going down because it's hard to develop for' thing. A friend of mine (hi Adam!) keeps going on about the PS2 being 'different' to develop for - but that's beside the point.
The point is that the major third parties will stick with the PS2 becuase it has market share, simply because Nintendo shot themselves in the foot with the N64. The 'PlayStation' brand is still gold enough to let the PS2 survive and do decently. It may run out of steam eventually, but until then, it won't go down for a while.
Don't count out Nintendo either. Nintendo is run by one of the shrewdest businessmen on the planet. Just becuase he's stuffed up a few times doesn't mean that you can count them out. Otherwise, how did Nintendo get market share in the first place? How do they retain market share in the handheld market?
The Cube Clubs and the more mature ads (apart from those 'Save your Hands' ones) are merely part of the push to show Nintendo's made a fresh start.
And I have a DVD-ROM drive, so why do I need a DVD player as well?
Let's just hope it doesn't end up like the post Atari years...
Amen to that.
Matt
I've played master of magic for days at a time on Windows 2000, and I have since the day I loaded the first release candidate.
.pif all the way up.
I disabled sound inside the game - figured it'd cause problems - and pushed all the memory settings in the associated
Given the choice between having sound and not having MoM, I'll take the game.
Plays just fine in DOSemu, too (also without sound).
Also, there are a couple of interesting clone projects. See http://www.classicgaming.com/mom/momhack.html for more info.
-- I wanna decide who lives and who dies - Crow T. Robot, MST3K
Dreamcasts are powered by Hitachi's SuperH 4 CPU. This is a plain, run-of-the-mill 32-bit processor. It's got a 32-bit address bus too, just like your PC. I don't know who started the rumor that it's a 128-bit system, but it seems to stick. Maybe because it was released after the N64, they assumed that the size of the words had double for the next generation? Or maybe because it has a "128-bit wide vector FPU" engine. If this is so, then your Pentium MMX is also 128-bit with it's MMX instruction support (can do among other things 128-bit quadword operations).
If you can think of a reason why a video game console would need a number greater than 4x1024^3 to represent some integer quantity, I'd like to hear it.
Check this out while you're at it:
http://mason.gmu.edu/~ngoldber/chip_truth.html
Black holes are where the Matrix raised SIGFPE
I think that game was a not-to-ambitious but very entertaining platform game.
A technology demo was Yoshi's Island... (when he got high on those spores and everything started freaking out on screen, I went nuts with laughter.... so cool looking, but not as much fun/engaging as mario world)
Black holes are where the Matrix raised SIGFPE
... will be available on all consoles and the PC, at least, this is the plan. It will online and massively multiplayer.
Black holes are where the Matrix raised SIGFPE
People seem to be focusing on technical comparisons between the hardware platforms. They forget that Nintendo realizes that it doesn't need to win megapolygon benchmarks with its games. Super Mario Cart would be almost as fun on my 8-bit, 16-color, sprie graphics Ninendo. Nintendo is very good at distilling the essence out of games and refining that game experience,
Just as Microsoft have their usability experts, Nintendo seems to have their playability experts. You don't need great graphics to make a great Nintendo game. People still play the original Super Mario Brothers from time to time. Far fewer people still play even Quake I. Maybe it's nostalgia, but I honestly think that nobody beats Nintendo when it comes to timeless games. Atari had a few really great games, but I think history will show Nintendo to be the king of timeless games.
Copyright Violation:"theft, piracy"::Anti-Trust Violation:"thermonuclear price terrorism"<-Overly dramatic language.
Im sorry but time is money and the easier to program for systems (cube and box) will beat out the ps2 in the long run... i program for a living and i know that business will go with what is faster to produce hence they make more money and spend less on the programmers... for them its win/win with faster easier to program machines. ps2 isnt gona win like they did last time... only reason they did is because the were easy and cheap to make games for... companies dont care about popularity they care about money.
Ironpoint,
.NET would help microsoft take over the console market. I provided .NET as an example of the 'innovation' that occurs when a manufacturer is no longer driven by competition to bring new features to the consumer. Instead, the monopolist has the freedom to innovate new methods of raking in cash from consumers.
I really hope your prediction is correct that "MS will lose bigtime to PS2 in the console space."
The point I would like you to consider, however, is that with the xBOx, microsoft is opening the floodgates for ports from the PC platform. Again, I agree with you that "Microsoft is definitely not #1 in video games", but the fact remains there are THOUSANDS of games available on the PC platform. Publishers are salivating at the opportunity to make extra money porting titles that have already completed their lifecycle in the PC realm. Sure, microsoft isn't the #1 developer of PC games, but in the computer-gaming market, their platform dominates.
I never tried to say that
I am flattered that you chose to mimic my 5-step playbook for 'bling-bling', but I'm pretty unconvinced that steps 1 & 2 are grounded in reality. As for #3, I'd like to know of any large-scale consumer product that's been marketed for years without turning a profit. Other than Internet Explorer, I can't really think of any.
$5 / month hosted VPS on linux = awesome!
Nintendo also released both the Nintendo 64 and the SNES early. Both of these systems did phenomenally well.
The reason they release early is so that when someone walks into a toy store itching to buy an Xbox they'll also see a Gamecube right next to it, for $100 less and with a solid lineup of launch games already out. Also, Microsoft is only shipping 300,000 units instead of the 700,000 they originally reported, which spells shortage. The longer Nintendo has units on the shelves while Microsoft doesn't, the better things will work out for them.
Do you want a convicted child molester to live next door to your family and kids when he's released? Do you want an almost militant monopolist with virtually unlimited power to move into your market much less any other? What if that monopolist is virtually protected by the govt (we all know about the wrist slap I hope)?
_do_the_math_
The thing that always gets me is how $400 and $600 consoles from Sony, MS, etc. always seem to be sold at a loss, yet somehow Nintendo manages to sell their next-gen box for $199 and not take a loss -- in the past, their consoles are usually less costly than the competitors, yet if my fellow posters are right in saying that they haven't taken a loss yet on the hardware....
I suppose that means that nintendo is more concerned with... a good business plan! And even then, their hardware is usually better than the competitors.
Keep up the good work.
More Caffeine. NOW
Those games had a suggested retail price of $50 as well. I remember Circuit City was trying to sell me a close to launch hockey game (wayne gretzky?) for $80! No Joke!
I got burned by my N64. They had one mario game at launch, then nothing. They had one Zelda game, then changed it a little, and called it something else.
Also, PC games come down in price often afterwards. N64 games did not, at least until PS1 kicked it's butt and offered $30 games.
I figure, its only a matter of time before some bright monkey figures out the X-Box, and there is a lot of bright hardware monkeys and a lot of bright linux monkeys. Therefore, I'm guessing its just a matter of time before someone figures out how to throw linux on the thing, and do a few hardware upgrades (such as USB).
Once that happens, I have the perfect TV-top box that will support USB controls, run linux and have TV out. Then, I stick a ton of emulators on it (X-Mame, etc). The processor should be beefy enough for all but a few games.
I *really* want an X-box.
Get eight network cards for $30 each plus one hub for $20. Maybe you need some cabling for around $80, but that's it.
Plus $800 for each PC. Not every family can afford to lose use of the family PC for the duration of the LAN party.
That's a total of $340 plus one game (the others can use the spawn version I think)
Not all PC games have a spawn version.
Will I retire or break 10K?
There was a lot of talk about if Bungie would go to xbox only when they were bought by microsoft...
0 0/MacGamesPR.asp
a c.shtml
http://www.microsoft.com/PressPass/press/2000/Jul
http://maccentral.macworld.com/news/0007/20.halom
Bungie's promised Mac versions of Halo, but I haven't seen any definate promises of a PC version.
Build it, and they will come^Hplain.
That the gamecube was meant to play games and only play games. The DVD players (redundant, but bears repeating) on consoles, like the PS2 were low grade, and trying to control a movie from a console controller sucked beyond belief.
I actually rather respect Nintendo's decision to not include a DVD player, and to instead include high quality sound. That allows the system to be WAY cheaper than the others.
When nuance becomes the only objective we lose the ability to function
doubtful, nintendo has very strict rules about releases. any store that does will find themselves cut off, if not at the other end of a very nasty lawsuit!
as for the gc vs xbox vs ps2 - the winner for the next 6-9 months is clearly ps2. after that, who knows... i secretly hope xb fails although I'm no big fan of nintendo either (Im a game dev). as a gamer i own a ps2 and have no plans to buy another system in the next 12 months.. unless i got one for free or something... i sure wouldn't buy a PortBox I already own a PC that kicks it's ass (1.4Ghz, 512ram, Geforce3, 80 gig U160 scsi, cable modem.. etc....)
I went to a local Electronic Botique and asked them about this. I was told this is only a roomer, and that EBX got an offical statement from Nintendo as well. Electronic Botique employees have a very good track record when it comes to this sort of information, so if they say its only a roomer, its probably only a roomer.
Liquid Gaming - Your daily dose of gaming news
/.
I'm not sure how to write URLs for dumpsters behind hospitals and large corporations. But here, I'll try:
http:://Your.house/like.your.mouth/full.of.crap
Big hospitals periodically throw out vast quantities of useful equipment. Most big corporations have a steady trickle of stuff getting thrown away.
I've occasionally gotten >1 GB HDDs this way, and I have a 3com 100bT hub also, but generally the stuff is a bit less current. Most of my nodes are P166mmx at this point which is fine for running FreeCiv or Civ II gold or Mechwarrior II but not sufficient for later releases of Mechwarrior.
Oh, I also picked up a crate full of unopened copies of Win95 - I still have a dozen or so since I don't use it myself, I just give it away. But usually you don't find software of any value.
This morning I picked up a big piece of ductwork from the side of the road which must've fallen off a truck. I'm going to use it to fix my furnace this weekend.
--Charlie