Forgive me for being glib, but doesn't that mean, by necessity, that you already have a device on which you can play those items? That would mean that you shouldn't need to modify an XBox to do so. The last time I checked, there was no shortage of DVD players that will go region-free (either by default or modded) and will play VCDs, and MUCH cheaper than an XBox. Now, if XBox were the ONLY way to get the job done, then I might be willing to let the mod chips slide as a necessary evil. However, since the opposite is true I can only conclude that the primary purpose (nearly to the exclusion of other purposes) for modchips is to play pirated games.
I don't recall big-time modding of a Nintendo console, but that's neither here nor there. The console that has been modded the most was the Playstation. Given Sony's all-but-complete dominance of the console market with the Playstation (and given that the modding only really got into high gear after Sony was making a profit on the consoles themselves), it's no surprise that they weren't terribly worried about modchips. It's a very different situation when you're still either losing money or just scraping a tiny profit off each console since game sales really are going to make or break you.
I think the bug up Microsoft's butt is that there are too many people out there who think that games are their birthright and that they shouldn't have to pay dime one for any of them...and considering how rampant Playstation piracy was toward the end of that console's life, I suspect Sony will be right beside Microsoft in this fight.
So Sony's business model was "fucked up" too, eh? They're the ones who kicked the "sell console below cost and make it up in games" business model into high gear and now they're on top of the industry. Think before you rant.
Lets not forget the ability to now play VCD's, DivX's and making the DVD player region free and also accept larger Hard Drives, none of which is illegal in Australia.
I agree. Let us indeed not forget that people want to play their burned (pirated) VCD copies and downloaded (pirated) DivX movies on their hacked consoles. If we did, we might forget another reason that a law against mod chips might be a good idea.
I guess I just don't understand where all the prudes are coming from. If BMX XXX is entertaining (funny, fun to play and offering good-looking women), then what's the problem? Have we forgotten that games ARE entertainment and that most guys find looking at good-looking women (unclothed women in particular) entertaining?
Now, because so many people in this country are unreasonably uptight I understand the need to keep the game out of the hands of children, but all this hand-wringing about the game in general makes me wonder if everyone here is covering their walls with posters of Phil Donahue and Alan Alda.
As a response to you and the rest who keep bagging on what a horrid game this is, and how Acclaim only releases crap, I have the following:
Shut the hell up.
Now that THAT is out of my system, I will note that Dave Mirra's BMX (and its sequels) have been very popular and pretty well-liked games. I offer this so that interested people can pop on over and get an idea of how gaming sites reviewed the last Acclaim BMX title (Dave Mirra 2), of which this is the followup, in fact if not in name (It was originally going to have Dave's name on it but he pulled out, probably at the advice of his agent/PR people).
In terms of other games that Acclaim has put out that have garnered, well, "acclaim," we have Turok (at least the original), Aggressive Inline (on my to-buy list), NBA Jam (a Genesis classic), Quarterback Club (not my cup of tea but I had a lot of friends back in the day who liked it) and many other games over the years.
In short, people who bag on games before they've played them are idiots. For myself, I'm not sure if I'm going to pick up BMX XXX simply because I have little interest in the sport and don't pick up every extreme sports title (I loved SSX Tricky and Aggressive Inline has just about won me over with the testimonials and great press). You can be assured, however, that if I do get it (depending on the gameplay and reviews of such) I will pick up the uncensored version so that I can presumably enjoy a solid extreme sports game that alost happens to include hot naked chicks...it's hard to understand any [male] gamer having any trouble with the concept.
I will also offer my hearty congratulations to Acclaim for all the buzz they've been generating lately. Between the gravestone silliness, the "name your kid Turok for big prizes" crap and now the nekkid bike-riding, they are definitely kicking ass in marketing.
Somebody needs to find the 'preview' button again: "offline privacy" should be "offline venue."
As a side note, if you check out the site at Yahoo Games, you'll find that actually (assuming that these are indeed full versions which seems to be the case), the "game packages" could actually be a good deal if you were on the fence about buying any of the games they have available. For example, they have a 10-game package at $14.95 that allows you to have unlimited play for a month of 10 games. That's a pretty good way to try before you buy, if you ask me...which you didn't...but I told you anyway.
Indeed. All I found was a program where you could get three days of Civ3 for $4.95. It seems like an attempt to provide rentals of video games without the fear of piracy that doing so in an offline privacy would engender, not to mention people who would simply rent the game and never return it.
I would note also that, with such a rental system, collecting data about people's playing of the rented game could be considered a necessity since there would have to be a way to shut it off after it had been played. There would also have to be a way to activate the start of the three-day rental after the download completed, since I don't think Yahoo would be so stupidly evil as to mark the time it takes to download the game against the customer's rental time.
In summary, the writer of the article is pretty dumb and the editor who posted it must be getting very sleepy.:)
So you would watch or listen to 20GB worth of material on the Archos every day? That's an impressive amount of free (wasted) time you have available to you.
The reality (duh) is that you people don't require Firewire or USB since it's likely that a lot of the space will be taken up over time with files that you will leave on there all the time. Beyond that, what's the big deal about hooking the thing up and walking away while it's synching? Even if you want to use the computer, it shouldn't be taking up so much processor time that you can't do other things.
In summary, you're not too bright and you owe whomever modded you as "interesting" some sort of sexual favor.:)
Exactly. If it were a ruling based on format or type of device, then they should have brought it up in relation to VHS. Since they didn't, I doubt that they can do much in the judicial system to get the case looked at again.
Of course, that is not to say that new or revised laws cannot be implemented to restrict recording (it probably could have been done and applied to VHS and Betamax way back when). If Congress changes the copyright law to make time-shifting illegal on digital OR analog devices, the court probably cannot do anything about it since such a law would probably (?) not be a constitutional violation.
The moral of the story? WRITE YOUR CONGRESS CRITTERS!
I would hope so. Someone needs to prosecute them. Believe me, you will find I'm not an apologist for anyone sponsoring terrorism, whatever their citizenship. I'm sure that they evade US law by claiming to provide "humanitarian" type aid, but to me providing any aid to those who would engage in, or directly support, terrorist acts is someone who needs to spend time in a prison (whether in the UK, the US, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, etc.).
It's always nice to get an "insightful" for a hackneyed concept, isn't it?
In response, I would offer that if Microsoft is going after mod chips because they allow XBoxes to run non-proprietary software (read Linux and any other software not developed as a Microsoft-licensed XBox game), then you would be right. However, if Microsoft is going after the chips because they permit the modder to use their XBox to play stolen games, then you're just blowing smoke.
The obvious response to what I just stated is the "significant legal use" argument. This is indeed a possibility, however, I would question the significance since there are already devices out there that can run Linux and x86 code. You probably (definitely?) used one to write your "insightful" comment - this would seem to make that particular use pretty insigificant in my eyes.
Console mods don't cheat anyone out of possible income to cover costs.
They sure as hell cheat someone if people use them to play games they didn't buy. I would also note that the price of a thing that is sold is rarely intended simply to "cover costs." Generally speaking - and this goes for most countries in the world and not just the "evil" US - someone is trying to make a profit as well.
I won't try to argue the legality of copying BIOS or making an XBox run Linux (I already tried to do a bit of that above), but the fact that people are able to mod their XBox and then play stolen games is a significant point against mod chips. The fact that people can ALREADY purchase computers to run Linux and write software makes this use even less compelling.
You have encapsulated the reasonable argument perfectly in your first paragraph. To put it even more succinctly: "I would not steal games. I would play with my XBox."
The problem, as I see it, is the dual nature of the chips. The fact that they can be used to enable the XBox to run open source software might not be enough legal justification for Microsoft to shut the chips down. However, the fact that they are also enabling the use of stolen software gives the opening to go after Lik-Sang and others who would produce and distribute those chips.
I seem to recall, as a pertinent example, that for the Playstation there were two primary forms of mod chip making the rounds. One chip removed the internal restrictions on US consoles and allowed them to play Japanese import games. The legality of these mod chips would be pretty difficult to question since one would still have to buy the Japanese games in order to play them (though with the admittedly evil DMCA this would probably still technically be a violation).
On the other hand, there were chips for the PS that enabled imports AND enabled playing "backups" (who are we trying to fool?). These chips were purchased by people PRIMARILY to steal software (if not entirely). This is where the current problems come in, and I'm not unsympathetic with Microsoft being zealous in protecting their software.
Oh, and before you start bombarding me with the "we have a right to have backups" argument, let's face the fact that when people buy one of these mod chips they probably have not had any of their games go bad and most of us don't spend a bunch of money and take time to modify an expensive ($200 is still quite a bit of money to lose if the modification goes badly) item in ANTICIPATION that one of our games might go bad. Hell, I've got CDs from years ago that still install just fine 3-4 computers later (a little care goes a long way).
I would also note that the "I should be able to run Linux on my XBox" is a pretty weak argument too. Anybody ordering from Lik-Sang has access to a computer (which can already run Linux) and a computer capable of RUNNING Linux can be had for the price of an XBox (or even cheaper).
As the voice of reason, devil's advocate, Microsoft butt-boy, etc., the above factors would seem to militate against any court attempting to find a compelling legal reason for these devices to be permitted given that their primary purposes are a) to circumvent copyright restrictions and b) to modify (and likely redistribute in form of a system BIOS) copyrighted code. Then again, I'm neither a lawyer nor a judge nor an owner of a business that creates and distributes mod chips - I'm rather just a guy with an opinion.:)
Noriega was involved in conspiracy that stretched beyond his borders and into America which makes him liable under American law. The Taliban were involved in a conspiracy to commit terrorist acts inside American borders which makes them liable under our laws.
It's worth noting that Noriega had legal representation and was tried for his crimes. As an American, I certainly hope that once the anti-terrorist fervor subsides a bit, any Afghani criminals receive the same treatment - frankly, I think they should either be charged and tried for whatever criminal acts they are suspected of committed or repatriated ASAP...though the possibility that they would rejoin the criminal (some call it terrorist) conspiracy can indeed, and reasonably, be used to justify their continued imprisonment. It's a tough call, and a lot tougher than some people are willing to admit.
Then again, I don't know why I would respond reasonably to someone who is as rabidly anti-American as yourself, so I'll shut my keyboard now.:)
I would suspect that liability insurance would be a secondary factor in considering whether or not to ship to, or sell in, the US for pharmaceutical and health food companies abroad. The primary consideration would be the FDA and its review process.
Re:Gamecube internet adapter? [OT but related.]
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Xbox Live Beta Report
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At the moment, the Gamecube adapters are still supposed to be here before Christmas (November is the best info I've seen so far). As to the games that will be compatible, there is exactly one that will be available near the release of the hardware: Phantasy Star Online (Ep. I and II). So far, there hasn't been any commitment from anyone else on any other games, either this season or next...though I hope that they get to work on Animal Crossing 2 since I'd really like to link with friends' towns (anonymous strangers would be too disruptive) without borrowing, or making them bring over, their memory cards.:)
And you certainly should look forward to it. I'm a beta tester myself and what I've played so far (not much, but picking up NFL 2k3 on Monday which is a football game I enjoy much more than Fever) has been great.
The naysayers are, in the main, either fanboys, Microsoft haters (look for the "s" replaced with a "$") or both. I have all three current consoles and each has something to recommend it - for example: Animal Crossing (and most anything from Nintendo or Sega) is great, PS2 variety is amazing (Squaresoft, yum!) and XBox is flat-out [power/beauti]ful (the increased fidelity of cross-platform titles alone should recommend it to discriminating gamers).
As an OT aside, I would humbly recommend Buffy the Vampire Slayer to anyone who enjoys a good third-person beat-'em-up, and particularly to those who also like Buffy.
I've played a lot of games that were much better than Diablo. That doesn't mean that I can't find Diablo fun. For that matter, BG: Dark Alliance was fun for what it was (simple, short, linear). It just weren't no Baldur's Gate.:)
This argument gets stupider every time I see it, and we've all seen it a LOT, especially since the XBox came out.
"It's just a weak PC."
"Why would I buy a console if I already have a PC."
"Why do I keep starting/participating in arguments about PC vs. console gaming?" (Yes, this last apparently applies to me as well.)
Here's something that so many people here (and elsewhere) don't get and are often too zealous to acknowledge: Right now, both PC and console gaming have their places.
Can we get better resolution for gaming on the PC? Of course we can. Then again, I would note that there still isn't, for example, a football game on console OR PC that looks as "good" (read realistic) as what I see on good old NTSC television. This tells me that, potentially, 480 (or 500, or 525, depending on the signal, set, etc.) lines of interlaced resolution could be enough. I certainly haven't played any console games where I shook my head and said to myself "this sucks because it's not 1024x768 or higher." -- by the by, it's worth noting here that I own all three current consoles and a competent, though not uber, gaming PC.
Do mouse and keyboard work better in some games than a console controller? Possibly, though I consider this a matter of taste. The only game genre where I see this argument being near-absolute is in the area of RTS games, simply because of the current scale of the battles that go on and the micromanagement required. FPS games, on the other hand, can be played quite well on the current console controllers - most people are just ACCUSTOMED to mouse/keyboard and refuse to consider getting used to, or even trying, any other configuration. It seems relevant to note here as well that one of the reasons FPS fans prefer their mouse and keyboard is that it allows them to control their "avatars" in ways which are fundamentally unrealistic (if a flesh-type human turned as fast as people do in shooters, their neck would snap).
And finally, one of the more common arguments is "I can do so much more with my PC than just games." This is, without a doubt, true. However, you then have to consider what MOST non-industry people need to do on their computer. Word processing, spreadsheets, tax preparation, etc. can all be done quite efficiently on a computer with 10% of the power of current gaming rigs. Given the right operating system, any of us could do our daily work in these areas plus web browsing on a 300-MHz computer (probably even lower) with a 2D graphics card and a PC speaker.
All of these items in my mind conspire to make the PC an endangered species in the world of gaming as consoles continue to improve. Already, the only PC title that can compete with the most popular console titles is The Sims (with its multitude of expansions). Think about it: A game like Halo or GTA3 could potentially have 75% penetration amongst gamers on a particular console - and those are games that have actually generated revenues without the massive PC piracy that goes on which is another factor that I think assures the eventual mostly-dead status of PC gaming.
Bah, I'm as dumb as anyone. I keep feeling baited into these discussions despite the fact that I'm exactly the guy who doesn't care either way...a gamer.:)
Small OT note on Baldur's Gate (Dark Alliance) for consoles: It is not a port of Baldur's Gate but rather an extremely simplified Diablo-like game (thought not nearly as fun as Diablo) - the only thing Dark Alliance has to do with Baldur's Gate is the title and the D&D setting. Anyone who bought Dark Alliance because they thought it would be anything like the original PC game would have to be very disappointed.
The bad thing with the merger is that they won't have any competition, the good thing is that there will be a LOT of bandwidth if they can merge satellite feeds.
I think you [and the FTC] are way off on this. The fact is that the real competition is cable versus satellite. In most, if not all, of the country people have no choice at all in which cable company they go with since the cost of getting into the market is prohibitive. This is especially true since anyone in a cable market who wants cable already has it, making it that much more difficult for any potential competitor to get a foothold.
It seems to me therefore that the satellite merger would have a chance to make the market more competitive by bringing together the marketing and technological resources of both DirecTV and DishNetwork so that they can give the cable companies a collectively better run at our money. This is better in the long run than having two satellite companies competing with each other AND the local cable companies with the satellites losing because they can't manage to gain enough mind share.
I used to play Ultima Online, however, I stopped a while ago. These prepaid characters are clearly an outrage.
How outraged can you be if you don't play anymore?
I admit that I would be pretty ticked if a game that I was actually playing went through the same process, but then I would think about it, shrug and move on. The reason? Because EA/OSI wouldn't be selling prelevelled characters if the game were still going strong. After all, it obviously cuts into the number of months a new user is likely to play the game, thus reducing long-term profits:
Using EQ (the MMORPG I played for a time) as an example: If a player takes four months to get to level 50 (very possible, if not probable) and then plays for another four months after reaching level 50; that person pays about $120 (with software purchase) for the game. If that same person gets to skip the first four months by paying $30 for a level 50 character, then EQ is going to miss out on $10-12 of revenue on that person (money approximate and doesn't take into account purchasing all expansions).
For a game that is still popular (like EQ), this is a bad deal since they can otherwise count on eight months' worth of gameplay and subscription fees from the user. For a game that has been in decline for some time and doesn't have the fancy graphical bells and whistles (which we all know are what brings in the youngsters), selling characters generates more money. As a bonus, the money generated keeps servers up and allows customer service personnel to continue in their jobs so that the longtime, hardcore-type users can continue enjoying their characters in an environment to which they've become accustomed.
Add to all of the above the fact that, for many people, it isn't just a game but a world in which they have friends, possessions and experiences that they interact with. At some point, it stops being about the levels and skills accrued and more about being with like-minded people in a virtual world. At that very same point, the idea of someone buying those same levels and skills should matter very little to those who have long enjoyed that world.
Depending on where in the continuity you look, Jean Grey has indeed gone without a code name and was just referred to as "Jean Grey." I don't recall if she used a code name while she and Scott were in X-Factor (I don't believe she did), but most assuredly once the X-Men were reconstituted as a super-big team (separate blue and gold teams) when the Jim Lee X-Men comic started, she was not going by any code name at all - probably because "Phoenix" had bad memories and was at that time still being used by her alternate universe daughter and because "Marvel Girl" sounds hokey, even for a comic book.
I've looked at the lowest end of the HDTV scale (Samsung 27" 4:3), and anyone who looks at that picture for more than 10 minutes next to any of the analog-only sets then walks away saying HDTV is "no big deal" is a friggin' idiot.
Whatever the resolution (typically 800x600 in the low-end sets), those televisions CAN still take an HD signal (which is the criterion for terming a set "HDTV-ready") and they DO look much better than vanilla NTSC.
As far as honesty goes, I'm more afraid of HDTV zealots who cry and holler about "true" high-definition resolution (which, by the way, you can't even GET via current HD broadcasts since they are typically maxing out at around 1600x1080) and thus scare away people who might otherwise get the upgrade, and at WORST end up with a set that will display beautifully their DVDs.
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Forgive me for being glib, but doesn't that mean, by necessity, that you already have a device on which you can play those items? That would mean that you shouldn't need to modify an XBox to do so. The last time I checked, there was no shortage of DVD players that will go region-free (either by default or modded) and will play VCDs, and MUCH cheaper than an XBox. Now, if XBox were the ONLY way to get the job done, then I might be willing to let the mod chips slide as a necessary evil. However, since the opposite is true I can only conclude that the primary purpose (nearly to the exclusion of other purposes) for modchips is to play pirated games.
I think the bug up Microsoft's butt is that there are too many people out there who think that games are their birthright and that they shouldn't have to pay dime one for any of them...and considering how rampant Playstation piracy was toward the end of that console's life, I suspect Sony will be right beside Microsoft in this fight.
So Sony's business model was "fucked up" too, eh? They're the ones who kicked the "sell console below cost and make it up in games" business model into high gear and now they're on top of the industry. Think before you rant.
I agree. Let us indeed not forget that people want to play their burned (pirated) VCD copies and downloaded (pirated) DivX movies on their hacked consoles. If we did, we might forget another reason that a law against mod chips might be a good idea.
Now, because so many people in this country are unreasonably uptight I understand the need to keep the game out of the hands of children, but all this hand-wringing about the game in general makes me wonder if everyone here is covering their walls with posters of Phil Donahue and Alan Alda.
Shut the hell up.
Now that THAT is out of my system, I will note that Dave Mirra's BMX (and its sequels) have been very popular and pretty well-liked games. I offer this so that interested people can pop on over and get an idea of how gaming sites reviewed the last Acclaim BMX title (Dave Mirra 2), of which this is the followup, in fact if not in name (It was originally going to have Dave's name on it but he pulled out, probably at the advice of his agent/PR people).
In terms of other games that Acclaim has put out that have garnered, well, "acclaim," we have Turok (at least the original), Aggressive Inline (on my to-buy list), NBA Jam (a Genesis classic), Quarterback Club (not my cup of tea but I had a lot of friends back in the day who liked it) and many other games over the years.
In short, people who bag on games before they've played them are idiots. For myself, I'm not sure if I'm going to pick up BMX XXX simply because I have little interest in the sport and don't pick up every extreme sports title (I loved SSX Tricky and Aggressive Inline has just about won me over with the testimonials and great press). You can be assured, however, that if I do get it (depending on the gameplay and reviews of such) I will pick up the uncensored version so that I can presumably enjoy a solid extreme sports game that alost happens to include hot naked chicks...it's hard to understand any [male] gamer having any trouble with the concept.
I will also offer my hearty congratulations to Acclaim for all the buzz they've been generating lately. Between the gravestone silliness, the "name your kid Turok for big prizes" crap and now the nekkid bike-riding, they are definitely kicking ass in marketing.
As a side note, if you check out the site at Yahoo Games, you'll find that actually (assuming that these are indeed full versions which seems to be the case), the "game packages" could actually be a good deal if you were on the fence about buying any of the games they have available. For example, they have a 10-game package at $14.95 that allows you to have unlimited play for a month of 10 games. That's a pretty good way to try before you buy, if you ask me...which you didn't...but I told you anyway.
I would note also that, with such a rental system, collecting data about people's playing of the rented game could be considered a necessity since there would have to be a way to shut it off after it had been played. There would also have to be a way to activate the start of the three-day rental after the download completed, since I don't think Yahoo would be so stupidly evil as to mark the time it takes to download the game against the customer's rental time.
In summary, the writer of the article is pretty dumb and the editor who posted it must be getting very sleepy. :)
The reality (duh) is that you people don't require Firewire or USB since it's likely that a lot of the space will be taken up over time with files that you will leave on there all the time. Beyond that, what's the big deal about hooking the thing up and walking away while it's synching? Even if you want to use the computer, it shouldn't be taking up so much processor time that you can't do other things.
In summary, you're not too bright and you owe whomever modded you as "interesting" some sort of sexual favor. :)
Of course, that is not to say that new or revised laws cannot be implemented to restrict recording (it probably could have been done and applied to VHS and Betamax way back when). If Congress changes the copyright law to make time-shifting illegal on digital OR analog devices, the court probably cannot do anything about it since such a law would probably (?) not be a constitutional violation.
The moral of the story? WRITE YOUR CONGRESS CRITTERS!
I would hope so. Someone needs to prosecute them. Believe me, you will find I'm not an apologist for anyone sponsoring terrorism, whatever their citizenship. I'm sure that they evade US law by claiming to provide "humanitarian" type aid, but to me providing any aid to those who would engage in, or directly support, terrorist acts is someone who needs to spend time in a prison (whether in the UK, the US, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, etc.).
In response, I would offer that if Microsoft is going after mod chips because they allow XBoxes to run non-proprietary software (read Linux and any other software not developed as a Microsoft-licensed XBox game), then you would be right. However, if Microsoft is going after the chips because they permit the modder to use their XBox to play stolen games, then you're just blowing smoke.
The obvious response to what I just stated is the "significant legal use" argument. This is indeed a possibility, however, I would question the significance since there are already devices out there that can run Linux and x86 code. You probably (definitely?) used one to write your "insightful" comment - this would seem to make that particular use pretty insigificant in my eyes.
They sure as hell cheat someone if people use them to play games they didn't buy. I would also note that the price of a thing that is sold is rarely intended simply to "cover costs." Generally speaking - and this goes for most countries in the world and not just the "evil" US - someone is trying to make a profit as well.
I won't try to argue the legality of copying BIOS or making an XBox run Linux (I already tried to do a bit of that above), but the fact that people are able to mod their XBox and then play stolen games is a significant point against mod chips. The fact that people can ALREADY purchase computers to run Linux and write software makes this use even less compelling.
The problem, as I see it, is the dual nature of the chips. The fact that they can be used to enable the XBox to run open source software might not be enough legal justification for Microsoft to shut the chips down. However, the fact that they are also enabling the use of stolen software gives the opening to go after Lik-Sang and others who would produce and distribute those chips.
I seem to recall, as a pertinent example, that for the Playstation there were two primary forms of mod chip making the rounds. One chip removed the internal restrictions on US consoles and allowed them to play Japanese import games. The legality of these mod chips would be pretty difficult to question since one would still have to buy the Japanese games in order to play them (though with the admittedly evil DMCA this would probably still technically be a violation).
On the other hand, there were chips for the PS that enabled imports AND enabled playing "backups" (who are we trying to fool?). These chips were purchased by people PRIMARILY to steal software (if not entirely). This is where the current problems come in, and I'm not unsympathetic with Microsoft being zealous in protecting their software.
Oh, and before you start bombarding me with the "we have a right to have backups" argument, let's face the fact that when people buy one of these mod chips they probably have not had any of their games go bad and most of us don't spend a bunch of money and take time to modify an expensive ($200 is still quite a bit of money to lose if the modification goes badly) item in ANTICIPATION that one of our games might go bad. Hell, I've got CDs from years ago that still install just fine 3-4 computers later (a little care goes a long way).
I would also note that the "I should be able to run Linux on my XBox" is a pretty weak argument too. Anybody ordering from Lik-Sang has access to a computer (which can already run Linux) and a computer capable of RUNNING Linux can be had for the price of an XBox (or even cheaper).
As the voice of reason, devil's advocate, Microsoft butt-boy, etc., the above factors would seem to militate against any court attempting to find a compelling legal reason for these devices to be permitted given that their primary purposes are a) to circumvent copyright restrictions and b) to modify (and likely redistribute in form of a system BIOS) copyrighted code. Then again, I'm neither a lawyer nor a judge nor an owner of a business that creates and distributes mod chips - I'm rather just a guy with an opinion. :)
It's worth noting that Noriega had legal representation and was tried for his crimes. As an American, I certainly hope that once the anti-terrorist fervor subsides a bit, any Afghani criminals receive the same treatment - frankly, I think they should either be charged and tried for whatever criminal acts they are suspected of committed or repatriated ASAP...though the possibility that they would rejoin the criminal (some call it terrorist) conspiracy can indeed, and reasonably, be used to justify their continued imprisonment. It's a tough call, and a lot tougher than some people are willing to admit.
Then again, I don't know why I would respond reasonably to someone who is as rabidly anti-American as yourself, so I'll shut my keyboard now. :)
I would suspect that liability insurance would be a secondary factor in considering whether or not to ship to, or sell in, the US for pharmaceutical and health food companies abroad. The primary consideration would be the FDA and its review process.
At the moment, the Gamecube adapters are still supposed to be here before Christmas (November is the best info I've seen so far). As to the games that will be compatible, there is exactly one that will be available near the release of the hardware: Phantasy Star Online (Ep. I and II). So far, there hasn't been any commitment from anyone else on any other games, either this season or next...though I hope that they get to work on Animal Crossing 2 since I'd really like to link with friends' towns (anonymous strangers would be too disruptive) without borrowing, or making them bring over, their memory cards. :)
The naysayers are, in the main, either fanboys, Microsoft haters (look for the "s" replaced with a "$") or both. I have all three current consoles and each has something to recommend it - for example: Animal Crossing (and most anything from Nintendo or Sega) is great, PS2 variety is amazing (Squaresoft, yum!) and XBox is flat-out [power/beauti]ful (the increased fidelity of cross-platform titles alone should recommend it to discriminating gamers).
As an OT aside, I would humbly recommend Buffy the Vampire Slayer to anyone who enjoys a good third-person beat-'em-up, and particularly to those who also like Buffy.
I've played a lot of games that were much better than Diablo. That doesn't mean that I can't find Diablo fun. For that matter, BG: Dark Alliance was fun for what it was (simple, short, linear). It just weren't no Baldur's Gate. :)
"It's just a weak PC."
"Why would I buy a console if I already have a PC."
"Why do I keep starting/participating in arguments about PC vs. console gaming?" (Yes, this last apparently applies to me as well.)
Here's something that so many people here (and elsewhere) don't get and are often too zealous to acknowledge: Right now, both PC and console gaming have their places.
Can we get better resolution for gaming on the PC? Of course we can. Then again, I would note that there still isn't, for example, a football game on console OR PC that looks as "good" (read realistic) as what I see on good old NTSC television. This tells me that, potentially, 480 (or 500, or 525, depending on the signal, set, etc.) lines of interlaced resolution could be enough. I certainly haven't played any console games where I shook my head and said to myself "this sucks because it's not 1024x768 or higher." -- by the by, it's worth noting here that I own all three current consoles and a competent, though not uber, gaming PC.
Do mouse and keyboard work better in some games than a console controller? Possibly, though I consider this a matter of taste. The only game genre where I see this argument being near-absolute is in the area of RTS games, simply because of the current scale of the battles that go on and the micromanagement required. FPS games, on the other hand, can be played quite well on the current console controllers - most people are just ACCUSTOMED to mouse/keyboard and refuse to consider getting used to, or even trying, any other configuration. It seems relevant to note here as well that one of the reasons FPS fans prefer their mouse and keyboard is that it allows them to control their "avatars" in ways which are fundamentally unrealistic (if a flesh-type human turned as fast as people do in shooters, their neck would snap).
And finally, one of the more common arguments is "I can do so much more with my PC than just games." This is, without a doubt, true. However, you then have to consider what MOST non-industry people need to do on their computer. Word processing, spreadsheets, tax preparation, etc. can all be done quite efficiently on a computer with 10% of the power of current gaming rigs. Given the right operating system, any of us could do our daily work in these areas plus web browsing on a 300-MHz computer (probably even lower) with a 2D graphics card and a PC speaker.
All of these items in my mind conspire to make the PC an endangered species in the world of gaming as consoles continue to improve. Already, the only PC title that can compete with the most popular console titles is The Sims (with its multitude of expansions). Think about it: A game like Halo or GTA3 could potentially have 75% penetration amongst gamers on a particular console - and those are games that have actually generated revenues without the massive PC piracy that goes on which is another factor that I think assures the eventual mostly-dead status of PC gaming.
Bah, I'm as dumb as anyone. I keep feeling baited into these discussions despite the fact that I'm exactly the guy who doesn't care either way...a gamer. :)
Small OT note on Baldur's Gate (Dark Alliance) for consoles: It is not a port of Baldur's Gate but rather an extremely simplified Diablo-like game (thought not nearly as fun as Diablo) - the only thing Dark Alliance has to do with Baldur's Gate is the title and the D&D setting. Anyone who bought Dark Alliance because they thought it would be anything like the original PC game would have to be very disappointed.
The bad thing with the merger is that they won't have any competition, the good thing is that there will be a LOT of bandwidth if they can merge satellite feeds.
I think you [and the FTC] are way off on this. The fact is that the real competition is cable versus satellite. In most, if not all, of the country people have no choice at all in which cable company they go with since the cost of getting into the market is prohibitive. This is especially true since anyone in a cable market who wants cable already has it, making it that much more difficult for any potential competitor to get a foothold.
It seems to me therefore that the satellite merger would have a chance to make the market more competitive by bringing together the marketing and technological resources of both DirecTV and DishNetwork so that they can give the cable companies a collectively better run at our money. This is better in the long run than having two satellite companies competing with each other AND the local cable companies with the satellites losing because they can't manage to gain enough mind share.
How outraged can you be if you don't play anymore?
I admit that I would be pretty ticked if a game that I was actually playing went through the same process, but then I would think about it, shrug and move on. The reason? Because EA/OSI wouldn't be selling prelevelled characters if the game were still going strong. After all, it obviously cuts into the number of months a new user is likely to play the game, thus reducing long-term profits:
Using EQ (the MMORPG I played for a time) as an example: If a player takes four months to get to level 50 (very possible, if not probable) and then plays for another four months after reaching level 50; that person pays about $120 (with software purchase) for the game. If that same person gets to skip the first four months by paying $30 for a level 50 character, then EQ is going to miss out on $10-12 of revenue on that person (money approximate and doesn't take into account purchasing all expansions).
For a game that is still popular (like EQ), this is a bad deal since they can otherwise count on eight months' worth of gameplay and subscription fees from the user. For a game that has been in decline for some time and doesn't have the fancy graphical bells and whistles (which we all know are what brings in the youngsters), selling characters generates more money. As a bonus, the money generated keeps servers up and allows customer service personnel to continue in their jobs so that the longtime, hardcore-type users can continue enjoying their characters in an environment to which they've become accustomed.
Add to all of the above the fact that, for many people, it isn't just a game but a world in which they have friends, possessions and experiences that they interact with. At some point, it stops being about the levels and skills accrued and more about being with like-minded people in a virtual world. At that very same point, the idea of someone buying those same levels and skills should matter very little to those who have long enjoyed that world.
Depending on where in the continuity you look, Jean Grey has indeed gone without a code name and was just referred to as "Jean Grey." I don't recall if she used a code name while she and Scott were in X-Factor (I don't believe she did), but most assuredly once the X-Men were reconstituted as a super-big team (separate blue and gold teams) when the Jim Lee X-Men comic started, she was not going by any code name at all - probably because "Phoenix" had bad memories and was at that time still being used by her alternate universe daughter and because "Marvel Girl" sounds hokey, even for a comic book.
Whatever the resolution (typically 800x600 in the low-end sets), those televisions CAN still take an HD signal (which is the criterion for terming a set "HDTV-ready") and they DO look much better than vanilla NTSC.
As far as honesty goes, I'm more afraid of HDTV zealots who cry and holler about "true" high-definition resolution (which, by the way, you can't even GET via current HD broadcasts since they are typically maxing out at around 1600x1080) and thus scare away people who might otherwise get the upgrade, and at WORST end up with a set that will display beautifully their DVDs.
That's enough OT rant for me, I think.