Yeah. That would be, well, all of them. Every software DVD player outputs progressive (hint: your monitor is a "progressive scan" device). The key, of course, is the output from the PC to a [HD]TV. I don't know about Nvidia, but ATI's cards (at least the ones with an option for component output - of particular interest would be the All-In-Wonders) support the various HDTV signals (480p/720p/1080i).
You're right. I'm not a programmer. Of course, that doesn't mean that I'm stupid, either, in that I'm aware they're using a program to generate the thumbnails automatically. It might be convenient to simply drop a bunch of pictures in a directory and then let a program/script create the thumbnails, but if those thumbnails are useless then the purpose is defeated (and someone should probably at least glance at pages before they're published). I expect that it's simply an issue of pre-defined dimensions on the thumbnail page being thrown by the double-height images. If so, then they need to take a look at the way they generate thumbnails or create a separate generator for DS screenshots. After all, there are going to be more DS games, and screenshots, in the future.
I was joking about Nintendo getting involved, but the fact remains that it's a mistake that should probably be fixed. Thumbnail pages should theoretically save bandwidth and useless ones don't accomplish that goal.
After looking at the Metroid Prime: Hunters and Metal Gear Acid screenshots, I'm stunned. Small screen or not, we're talking about an incredible graphical improvement in portables. The lighting (or texturing?) in the Metal Gear Acid pics is incredible, and the Metroid pics are beautiful if still a bit jaggy (mainly because the DS resolution per screen is lower than that of the PSP. Obviously, graphics don't make for fun but they sure can enhance it a great deal, as well as providing more of the modern gameplay options with the switch to 3D. Playability is still a question mark with the small screen, but I'm sure jazzed about seeing true portable 3D.
One other thought. Nintendo should give Gamespot the "business" over that screenshot index for Metroid Prime: Hunters. It had me wondering if the pics were a joke until clicking and finding out the index was populated with the low-detail map screen instead of the main game.:)
Nintendo should make the DS 100% compatible with GB and GBA games, and stop selling GBAs.
I don't think there's been any indication that the DS won't be fully compatible with GB/GBA. The article itself notes that there are two slots - one for GBA (and GB?) carts and one for the new DS type (cards or carts?) - meaning that there is, at minimum, GBA compatibility.
As for having both on shelves at the same time, I don't see a big problem. Folks will still be able to drop $90 or less on a GBA with its giant library of games, and people who think the DS games are worth the investment (that's the big question mark) will pick up the DS. I don't think it's any more confusing than deciding between PSOne and PS2 units. Heck, original Gameboys were available after the Color units came out and I don't remember much confusion there.
Worst-case scenario: Customer: "I want a Gameboy but I don't know which one to buy." Salesperson: "We have the cheaper one that fits in your pocket with one screen, or the expensive one that fits in a purse with two screens." Customer: "I'll take the cheaper one. Thanks!"
It's called the Slashdot CW. "Xbox games suck" or "All they have is Halo" aren't trolls or flamebait because those statements are considered true. Arguing against that is obviously flamebait because no sensible person enjoys their Xbox without a mod chip and Media Center installed.
In fact, mods should slap me with some negative points because I enjoy my Xbox games (bought five last week as a matter of fact) and don't have a mod chip.
I call bullshit. The [useful] cargo capacity of an SUV doesn't come close to a standard van or truck - you know, work vehicles. In fact, SUVs are exempt from the "gas guzzler tax" because of their "work vehicle" status despite the fact that virtually all of them are marketed and sold as passenger vehicles.
The excuse holds even less water when dealing with an urban environment and trying to justify an SUV or truck based on "occasionally" needing to haul things. Put some of the money saved with everyday gas savings and rent a damned truck or pay for delivery when you really need to move something too big to fit into the car. Even small towns often have a U-Haul franchise in town and in cities one can easily find a good deal on renting a pickup or van for a day or two.
I won't post anon and will thus take any troll/offtopic karma hit like a man, but...
How about making these consoles for motorized vehicles that DON'T contribute as significantly to our dependence on foreign oil which helps to draw us into murky political and military quagmires over and over again.
I'm not an environmentalist (in fact, I've been known to say "fuck the environment," mainly in reaction to people who care more about birds than people), but in light of the US political and economic situation anyone who buys an SUV is an asshole.
I admit I don't know how it works with DVD-Rs - because I've been waiting for the burning capacity to double before committing - but I burn CDs at top speed (32x) all the time and am able to use the computer (1 GHz) for other things with absolutely no trouble. Then again, my CD-R on a separate IDE channel from my hard drive - is yours?
It's worth noting, too, that if you truly aren't burning a ton of discs a day it shouldn't be that big a deal to take a break while the top-speed burn is in process. Most/. readers could probably use a little more time away from their computer.
EA doesn't "eat up" small companies. It pays the proprietors good money for them. If the owners don't like what happens after they become part of EA, that's just their tough luck - they've probably got the scratch to try again with a new company if they really care that much. If consumers don't like it, they can stop buying EA games. As large as EA is, they're still not the only game in town.
Self-regulation is super in concept but impossible to implement effectively. The fact is that video games are sold in too many disparate types of outlets for there to be a cohesive policy that will be implemented for every retailer. All it takes is one store owner who feels that there are enhanced profits to be obtained by selling to anyone who walks in the door, and any regulatory efforts by the industry moot - "Darn, Wal-Mart won't sell me Manhunt. I guess I'll have to go to WackyGames (fake store name, BTW)."
Laws against selling intensely violent games to minors are a good thing. They'll hopefully keep the nuts (Lieberman and company) quiet, yet parents can still make their own decisions - they just won't be legally able to decide to give their kid money and tell them to go to the store and pick up Vice City and a pack of Kools.
Excellent point and what I've always claimed as my reason for not caring about gaming TV. In fact, this is the reason that X-Play on TechTV works. I can watch it for a half-hour, see a few games in motion (I don't download game trailers) and then turn on one of my consoles and start playing again. If I really want to watch TV, I'd rather watch something specifically designed for being a spectator - I like West Wing, Angel, NFL Football, etc.
I'd add one other note to your concept, and that's if there is a REALLY good show about gaming (I consider X-Play passable), it's going to be most effective at making me want to play a video game. Thus, there's even less chance that I'm actually going to sit through the show and its commercials. Talk about defeating one's own purpose...
Maybe Japanese people are less obsessed with blowing things up pointlessly and hence prefer better quality entertainment with a solid story and more things to do.
I hear ya. I just can't get into US demon-screwing cartoons. They just don't have the same depth as the ones made in Japan.
I've been to Thailand a few times and since I don't expect the taste in games to be that much different from Japan's I'll add my 2 cents here.
Ahhh, nothing like the smell of not-so-subtle racism.
Why wouldn't Thai and Japanese tastes in games be "that much different?" Is it because you think they look similar? You might want to spend more time in both countries before jumping to that kind of conclusion. Thailand and Japan are poles apart in terms of history and culture. The fact that both countries are in Asia and the people have similar appearances (to Western eyes, anyway) doesn't make them the same, any more than it would make Czech Republic and France the same.
So, software copyright exists but if said software is a network protocol then one can't copyright it? I've never noticed a specific exception in that area when perusing fair use doctrines and reading the laws themselves (probably because it doesn't exist). If someone has actually reverse engineered the software, then it should be easy enough to produce the documentation proving the steps taken to do so. Of course, if, in using the protocol one logs on to a server owned by Sharman to get IP addresses (it has to happen at some point in the P2P process - most programs don't try IP addresses randomly for this purpose), the whole thing goes out the window - protocol or not, it would be their server and they have the right to control access to it.
In case I wasn't clear above in answering your initial question: You're damn right you have a monopoly over the use of the protocol (read SOFTWARE) you create. You can, of course, give it away, make it OSS, shareware, etc. as you see fit, but it's YOURS. Intellectual property. Just because it uses the Internet doesn't automatically make it community property.
If this right existed (to keep other people out of your network on the Internet)...[silly example]
If this right existed, then people would be able to require payment for access to pornography sites; folks would be permitted to ban specific IPs, and groups of IPs, from their sites; and Slashdot would be able to have subscriber-specific content. Wait, they can? Shit.
Actually, 100 is the magic number for "big money" syndication. There are many (many) TV shows in perpetual rerun land nowadays because there are so many channels with relatively little content. Given the number of awful movies that Sci-Fi Channel trots out on a regular basis, they'll probably have Andromeda in reruns for the duration.
Finally, I would note that the idea of Sci-Fi funding enough episodes just to round out to 100 is just silly. After all, they're the only network that's likely to be interested in rerunning Andromeda ANYWAY, so why would they want to make the property more valuable (and thus more costly) unless they truly think that making new episodes is a profitable proposition (as they did with SG-1)?
I don't know jack about carbon dating - I 'isn't' no scientist. I just wanted to toss you thanks for being specific in your description of a group of people as opposed to saying "Christians," "creationists," etc. It gets a bit tiresome for folks who are relatively sensible open-minded believers to get lumped in with every schmuck who confuses believing in The Word with believing they are The Word.:)
Religions, on the other hand, generally claim absolute certainty about something
Religions don't claim anything. Religious people often claim all kinds of things.
I've got no problem with the idea of a deity, just the "take it on faith that there is a deity with these traits" bit.
Your statement makes little to no sense. If one believes in a deity, then it's a necessity to ascribe traits of some kind to that deity. Otherwise, there is nothing to believe in. Further, "[taking] it on faith" is what religion is all about, so if you dismiss that then you're dismissing every believer.
Despite what you might hear from nutty scientists and nuttier religious zealots, religious faith and science are not mutually exclusive.
Yes, yes, and playing Half-Life/TFC on a 450-MHz K6-III with 128 MB of RAM and a 32MB TNT2 card isn't that pretty, either. Yet the game can still be fun on that configuration (or at least I had fun with it). I also had quite a good time with Unreal Tournament on that wimpy little thing.
Fortunately, with a game like EQ[2], frame rates just aren't that big of a deal. It's not a twitch situation. So, if one is willing to put up with the duller graphics I'm sure that the minimum configuration will be fine (assuming one enjoys the gameplay, of course).
Always good to get a response from someone who doesn't bother to comprehend my post despite quoting extensively. My point was not that the Xbox and PS2 are inherently superior to the Gamecube. Neither was it that the Gamecube is somehow lame. My point was that the Gamecube isn't an appropriate alternative for someone who enjoys, and wants to continue, playing PC-type games (in particular, games available on both PC and at least one of the current consoles) but doesn't want to upgrade their PC anymore. The Gamecube is a great console (I'm an Animal Crossing geek myself) but wholly inappropriate in this kind of scenario.
In this particular context, it's an appropriate exclusion. When discussing playing games on a PC versus playing them on a console, the Gamecube simply doesn't belong because there is little significant crossover of games between PC and GC. Want to play Deus Ex: Invisible War? Not going to happen on Gamecube. GTA:3/Vice City? Ditto. Star Wars: KOTOR? Sorry. Halo? Well, owned by Microsoft so it hardly counts.
The Gamecube is a console in its own special category - mainly for playing games entirely Nintendo in origin. Xbox and PS2 both have a great deal more third-party support, and thus can provide points of comparison with PC gaming.
Actually, your Diablo 2 example is indicative of a game design/development problem - I don't think it would be out of line to call it a "bug." In an ideal world, sloppy game design shouldn't be driving computer upgrades.
Slashdot Mirror
No respect for the artists? :)
Gabe and Tycho of Penny Arcade fame ended their time at the Ubisoft booth early today.
Yeah. That would be, well, all of them. Every software DVD player outputs progressive (hint: your monitor is a "progressive scan" device). The key, of course, is the output from the PC to a [HD]TV. I don't know about Nvidia, but ATI's cards (at least the ones with an option for component output - of particular interest would be the All-In-Wonders) support the various HDTV signals (480p/720p/1080i).
I was joking about Nintendo getting involved, but the fact remains that it's a mistake that should probably be fixed. Thumbnail pages should theoretically save bandwidth and useless ones don't accomplish that goal.
One other thought. Nintendo should give Gamespot the "business" over that screenshot index for Metroid Prime: Hunters. It had me wondering if the pics were a joke until clicking and finding out the index was populated with the low-detail map screen instead of the main game. :)
I don't think there's been any indication that the DS won't be fully compatible with GB/GBA. The article itself notes that there are two slots - one for GBA (and GB?) carts and one for the new DS type (cards or carts?) - meaning that there is, at minimum, GBA compatibility.
As for having both on shelves at the same time, I don't see a big problem. Folks will still be able to drop $90 or less on a GBA with its giant library of games, and people who think the DS games are worth the investment (that's the big question mark) will pick up the DS. I don't think it's any more confusing than deciding between PSOne and PS2 units. Heck, original Gameboys were available after the Color units came out and I don't remember much confusion there.
Worst-case scenario:
Customer: "I want a Gameboy but I don't know which one to buy."
Salesperson: "We have the cheaper one that fits in your pocket with one screen, or the expensive one that fits in a purse with two screens."
Customer: "I'll take the cheaper one. Thanks!"
In fact, mods should slap me with some negative points because I enjoy my Xbox games (bought five last week as a matter of fact) and don't have a mod chip.
The excuse holds even less water when dealing with an urban environment and trying to justify an SUV or truck based on "occasionally" needing to haul things. Put some of the money saved with everyday gas savings and rent a damned truck or pay for delivery when you really need to move something too big to fit into the car. Even small towns often have a U-Haul franchise in town and in cities one can easily find a good deal on renting a pickup or van for a day or two.
How about making these consoles for motorized vehicles that DON'T contribute as significantly to our dependence on foreign oil which helps to draw us into murky political and military quagmires over and over again.
I'm not an environmentalist (in fact, I've been known to say "fuck the environment," mainly in reaction to people who care more about birds than people), but in light of the US political and economic situation anyone who buys an SUV is an asshole.
It's worth noting, too, that if you truly aren't burning a ton of discs a day it shouldn't be that big a deal to take a break while the top-speed burn is in process. Most /. readers could probably use a little more time away from their computer.
EA doesn't "eat up" small companies. It pays the proprietors good money for them. If the owners don't like what happens after they become part of EA, that's just their tough luck - they've probably got the scratch to try again with a new company if they really care that much. If consumers don't like it, they can stop buying EA games. As large as EA is, they're still not the only game in town.
Laws against selling intensely violent games to minors are a good thing. They'll hopefully keep the nuts (Lieberman and company) quiet, yet parents can still make their own decisions - they just won't be legally able to decide to give their kid money and tell them to go to the store and pick up Vice City and a pack of Kools.
I'd add one other note to your concept, and that's if there is a REALLY good show about gaming (I consider X-Play passable), it's going to be most effective at making me want to play a video game. Thus, there's even less chance that I'm actually going to sit through the show and its commercials. Talk about defeating one's own purpose...
I hear ya. I just can't get into US demon-screwing cartoons. They just don't have the same depth as the ones made in Japan.
Ahhh, nothing like the smell of not-so-subtle racism.
Why wouldn't Thai and Japanese tastes in games be "that much different?" Is it because you think they look similar? You might want to spend more time in both countries before jumping to that kind of conclusion. Thailand and Japan are poles apart in terms of history and culture. The fact that both countries are in Asia and the people have similar appearances (to Western eyes, anyway) doesn't make them the same, any more than it would make Czech Republic and France the same.
In case I wasn't clear above in answering your initial question: You're damn right you have a monopoly over the use of the protocol (read SOFTWARE) you create. You can, of course, give it away, make it OSS, shareware, etc. as you see fit, but it's YOURS. Intellectual property. Just because it uses the Internet doesn't automatically make it community property.
If this right existed, then people would be able to require payment for access to pornography sites; folks would be permitted to ban specific IPs, and groups of IPs, from their sites; and Slashdot would be able to have subscriber-specific content. Wait, they can? Shit.
Finally, I would note that the idea of Sci-Fi funding enough episodes just to round out to 100 is just silly. After all, they're the only network that's likely to be interested in rerunning Andromeda ANYWAY, so why would they want to make the property more valuable (and thus more costly) unless they truly think that making new episodes is a profitable proposition (as they did with SG-1)?
I don't know jack about carbon dating - I 'isn't' no scientist. I just wanted to toss you thanks for being specific in your description of a group of people as opposed to saying "Christians," "creationists," etc. It gets a bit tiresome for folks who are relatively sensible open-minded believers to get lumped in with every schmuck who confuses believing in The Word with believing they are The Word. :)
Religions don't claim anything. Religious people often claim all kinds of things.
I've got no problem with the idea of a deity, just the "take it on faith that there is a deity with these traits" bit.
Your statement makes little to no sense. If one believes in a deity, then it's a necessity to ascribe traits of some kind to that deity. Otherwise, there is nothing to believe in. Further, "[taking] it on faith" is what religion is all about, so if you dismiss that then you're dismissing every believer.
Despite what you might hear from nutty scientists and nuttier religious zealots, religious faith and science are not mutually exclusive.
Fortunately, with a game like EQ[2], frame rates just aren't that big of a deal. It's not a twitch situation. So, if one is willing to put up with the duller graphics I'm sure that the minimum configuration will be fine (assuming one enjoys the gameplay, of course).
Always good to get a response from someone who doesn't bother to comprehend my post despite quoting extensively. My point was not that the Xbox and PS2 are inherently superior to the Gamecube. Neither was it that the Gamecube is somehow lame. My point was that the Gamecube isn't an appropriate alternative for someone who enjoys, and wants to continue, playing PC-type games (in particular, games available on both PC and at least one of the current consoles) but doesn't want to upgrade their PC anymore. The Gamecube is a great console (I'm an Animal Crossing geek myself) but wholly inappropriate in this kind of scenario.
If only it were "Kill All Humans!" featuring Bender finally fulfilling one of his fondest dreams.
The Gamecube is a console in its own special category - mainly for playing games entirely Nintendo in origin. Xbox and PS2 both have a great deal more third-party support, and thus can provide points of comparison with PC gaming.
Actually, your Diablo 2 example is indicative of a game design/development problem - I don't think it would be out of line to call it a "bug." In an ideal world, sloppy game design shouldn't be driving computer upgrades.