Maybe I didn't see it anywhere in the realm of video gaming news, but they should really consider dropping the price of the PS2 here in America before they try getting people hyped for the next thing that is probably 3 years down the road anyways.
I'm afraid the laws of supply and demand just won't let them do that. You see, when you constantly outsell your competitors by large margins every month, even when your competitors may have newer hardware and a $100 lower price tag, you don't drop the price.
As for the second point, I don't think PS2 hype damaged the PSOne that much, if at all. I don't think they're too worried about people not buying their current console. It's just the way the business works.
I do hope that the new console will be backwards compatible.
I disagree, but not for the reasons that you might think.
I have yet to buy a system at it's launch. Never. I don't see the point in buying this hardware that can only play games when the price will most likely drop almost half in 18 months or so. That's about the time I usually buy. Granted, this hasn't happened with the Playstation 2 yet but it has to eventually (especially with a PS3 in the works). This way I already know what key titles to get for the system, and the system still has life in it for new surprises.
Either way people are going to be using Apple's own devices to steal content from them, right?:)
Re:Speak 'n' Spell emulation?
on
PDAs For Kids
·
· Score: 2
Check out SASS for a trip down memory lane. The creators have sampled both the UK and the US versions of the original hardware and made a (windows only I think) simulator. It's defintiely fun for five minutes or so:)
IBM used to have a line similar to this back in the early '90's called the EduQuest line. It was a product line built to be terminals on a (then Novell) network. My high school got a whole lab full of them. Funny thing was the 486 processors in the terminals were more powerful than the 286 server.
We hated them, until we got Doom running off the server...
Apple Records sued Apple Inc. in 1989 over a secret agreement the two had in 1981. Apple Records allowed Apple Inc. to keep their nifty little apple logo as long as they stayed out of the music industry. This came up again recently with the release of the iPod, although I don't know the outcome of the suit.
Videotopia is a similar US based exhibit that mostly focuses on arcade games. I got to see it twice back in '98 and '99 (it was in Washington DC and Baltimore, MD almost back to back). The schedule at the bottom of the page shows the Baltimore showing as the last one, which was 2 1/2 years ago. I hope it's still touring... I think it actually did a good job of showing the development process (or at least, how it used to be during the classic era in the early '80s) They had original design sketches for several games, a couple cabinets that had see-thru plexiglass sides so you could see the internals of the cabinets (ever wonder how the optical rotary steering wheel on an original Pole Position worked?) and more.
I think one of the most interesting parts of the exhibit (besides the fact that there are so many games in one place to play) is the inclusion of informational stands telling you about what was going on in the world at that time, which often had some effect on the theme or elements of the game. You then can go to a kiosk and answer questions about the "history" behind the games and win free tokens! The ultimate learning tool!:)
If it comes to your area, don't pass it up. Also check out the site and read about some of the games that the exhibit showcases.
I love old computers too, but I lean more in the direction of the home/hobbyist computers (old Macs, Atari 8/16 bit computers, Amigas and other Commodores, etc) I found something called "The Catweasle" a while back. It plugs into an ISA slot (remember those? of course you do:) and has floppy controller ports for two drives. This thing reads *everything*. Check out the link for the full specs. Think there's a market for getting data off an Amiga 1200 disk?
The other cool "recovery" project I've seen is CAPS, which is a project to preserve exact copies of Amiga games. It's a typical abandonware project, except they are going out of their way to keep all copy protection intact. They are even going so far as to reverse engineer the copy-protection so they can make an exact copy of the original disk!
...is obviously Slashdot. And somebody hacking it. How many units do you think they'll ship when somebody figures out how to put linux on the damn thing?
Modularity is exactly what you don't want in a console. The appeal for the consumer and the developer is common ground. If you want to play game X on console Y, all you need is game X and console Y. You do not need to upgrade your memory, video card, etc if you are the consumer, and you don't need to code for every possible configuration if you're the developer
Look at peripherals for consoles. The only highly successful add-on for a console is basically the memory card (and also probably the Sony Dual Shock controller for the PSOne). Other peripherals don't have anywhere near the market penetration to make it worth coding for. For examples of this, look how many 4-player games came out for the Dreamcast, N64 and GameCube (which had 4-support built in) versus the PSOne/PS2 (which required an add-on). Because of this, modularity is not going to happen.
but if I had the ability to switch from standard video chipset to the ultra-insane-fast $399.95 video upgrade option that adds the physics module for jiggley breats to the fighters in virtua fighter 73, then dammit I'll buy it!
You might, but history shows that most people wouldn't. Even games that required a measly memory upgrade on the N64 didn't sell nearly as well as games that did not. People (read: parents) don't want to have to figure out what needs to go with a game to play it. They want to know what system the game is on, and if their kid has that system.
Falcon's Eye
on
Nethack 3.4.0
·
· Score: 5, Interesting
Has anyone checked out Falcon's Eye? It's a frontend for NetHack that has 3D isometric graphics and background music, and it's available for Linux, DOS and Windows. It looks fabulous, and I think it's a great way to get new people interested in the game.
In a related note, what the hell ever happened to the Future Crew? Man, I remember waiting with bated breath for Second Reality to download over my 2400 baud modem.
Several members of the "Crew" founded Remedy Entertainment. Remedy developed Death Rally (a 3D top down racer, very fun and ran on the old Rendition board if I remember correctly, maybe even 3DFX) and also a little game called Max Payne. Maybe you've heard of it:) I also believe they developed a 3D benchmarking tool, but I don't remember the name off the top of my head.
You might call me silly for doing all this, but I feel the software writers deserve it.
Programmers/musicians may deserve it, but if you're buying a "used" anything, they won't get a dime. I think that makes a good argument for the business model behind EMusic. If I buy a used CD, the artist never sees a dime. If I grab it from a place like EMusic, they at least get *some* compensation. Plus I get the ability to download it from anywhere that has an internet connection. And no stupid music copy protection!
I never had an Amiga, but I'm fascinated by "old" computers (anything older than 3 years is ancient history, right? <grin>)
Anyway, for people looking for a slightly lower cost (but legal) solution, check out Amiga Forever, a commercial distribution of UAE that comes with *every* version of the Amiga Kickstart ROMs and Workbench disks! And this isn't a warez CD either... these are legitimately licensed from (insert current company that owns Amiga's IP). I believe it also includes some commercial software and software that will allow you to mount Amiga hard drives as network drives under Windows. Might be worth a look for former/current Amiga fans.
Slashdot Mirror
I'm afraid the laws of supply and demand just won't let them do that. You see, when you constantly outsell your competitors by large margins every month, even when your competitors may have newer hardware and a $100 lower price tag, you don't drop the price.
As for the second point, I don't think PS2 hype damaged the PSOne that much, if at all. I don't think they're too worried about people not buying their current console. It's just the way the business works.
I do hope that the new console will be backwards compatible.
Eventually people nned to buy a current system
I disagree, but not for the reasons that you might think.
I have yet to buy a system at it's launch. Never. I don't see the point in buying this hardware that can only play games when the price will most likely drop almost half in 18 months or so. That's about the time I usually buy. Granted, this hasn't happened with the Playstation 2 yet but it has to eventually (especially with a PS3 in the works). This way I already know what key titles to get for the system, and the system still has life in it for new surprises.
"Then, perhaps they will have to use characters from other alphabets. Wonder how you would pronounce ßMac? "
BetaMacs died a long time ago to VHS. Don't expect them to be making a comeback.
Either way people are going to be using Apple's own devices to steal content from them, right? :)
Check out SASS for a trip down memory lane. The creators have sampled both the UK and the US versions of the original hardware and made a (windows only I think) simulator. It's defintiely fun for five minutes or so :)
IBM used to have a line similar to this back in the early '90's called the EduQuest line. It was a product line built to be terminals on a (then Novell) network. My high school got a whole lab full of them. Funny thing was the 486 processors in the terminals were more powerful than the 286 server.
We hated them, until we got Doom running off the server...
Apple Records sued Apple Inc. in 1989 over a secret agreement the two had in 1981. Apple Records allowed Apple Inc. to keep their nifty little apple logo as long as they stayed out of the music industry. This came up again recently with the release of the iPod, although I don't know the outcome of the suit.
Robotron! That's what the drawings were of. I couldn't remember and I thought it was Space Invaders :)
Videotopia is a similar US based exhibit that mostly focuses on arcade games. I got to see it twice back in '98 and '99 (it was in Washington DC and Baltimore, MD almost back to back). The schedule at the bottom of the page shows the Baltimore showing as the last one, which was 2 1/2 years ago. I hope it's still touring... I think it actually did a good job of showing the development process (or at least, how it used to be during the classic era in the early '80s) They had original design sketches for several games, a couple cabinets that had see-thru plexiglass sides so you could see the internals of the cabinets (ever wonder how the optical rotary steering wheel on an original Pole Position worked?) and more.
:)
I think one of the most interesting parts of the exhibit (besides the fact that there are so many games in one place to play) is the inclusion of informational stands telling you about what was going on in the world at that time, which often had some effect on the theme or elements of the game. You then can go to a kiosk and answer questions about the "history" behind the games and win free tokens! The ultimate learning tool!
If it comes to your area, don't pass it up. Also check out the site and read about some of the games that the exhibit showcases.
I love old computers too, but I lean more in the direction of the home/hobbyist computers (old Macs, Atari 8/16 bit computers, Amigas and other Commodores, etc) I found something called "The Catweasle" a while back. It plugs into an ISA slot (remember those? of course you do :) and has floppy controller ports for two drives. This thing reads *everything*. Check out the link for the full specs. Think there's a market for getting data off an Amiga 1200 disk?
The other cool "recovery" project I've seen is CAPS, which is a project to preserve exact copies of Amiga games. It's a typical abandonware project, except they are going out of their way to keep all copy protection intact. They are even going so far as to reverse engineer the copy-protection so they can make an exact copy of the original disk!
What about this one?
Named "LosLobos", the new supercomputer is scheduled to be fully operational by the summer
After getting stuck in an infinite loop playing "La Bamba", IBM Engineers smashed it into little bits.
By this recipe, maybe Leonard Nimoy should also release a Post-9/11 follow-up to his best-selling book "Y2K Family Survival Guide: A Complete Action Manual for Your Y2K Lifeboat".
...is obviously Slashdot. And somebody hacking it. How many units do you think they'll ship when somebody figures out how to put linux on the damn thing?
Don't forget, it's already networked (insert Beowulf cluster joke here)
Modularity is exactly what you don't want in a console. The appeal for the consumer and the developer is common ground. If you want to play game X on console Y, all you need is game X and console Y. You do not need to upgrade your memory, video card, etc if you are the consumer, and you don't need to code for every possible configuration if you're the developer
Look at peripherals for consoles. The only highly successful add-on for a console is basically the memory card (and also probably the Sony Dual Shock controller for the PSOne). Other peripherals don't have anywhere near the market penetration to make it worth coding for. For examples of this, look how many 4-player games came out for the Dreamcast, N64 and GameCube (which had 4-support built in) versus the PSOne/PS2 (which required an add-on). Because of this, modularity is not going to happen.
but if I had the ability to switch from standard video chipset to the ultra-insane-fast $399.95 video upgrade option that adds the physics module for jiggley breats to the fighters in virtua fighter 73, then dammit I'll buy it!
You might, but history shows that most people wouldn't. Even games that required a measly memory upgrade on the N64 didn't sell nearly as well as games that did not. People (read: parents) don't want to have to figure out what needs to go with a game to play it. They want to know what system the game is on, and if their kid has that system.
Has anyone checked out Falcon's Eye? It's a frontend for NetHack that has 3D isometric graphics and background music, and it's available for Linux, DOS and Windows. It looks fabulous, and I think it's a great way to get new people interested in the game.
In a related note, what the hell ever happened to the Future Crew? Man, I remember waiting with bated breath for Second Reality to download over my 2400 baud modem.
:) I also believe they developed a 3D benchmarking tool, but I don't remember the name off the top of my head.
Several members of the "Crew" founded Remedy Entertainment. Remedy developed Death Rally (a 3D top down racer, very fun and ran on the old Rendition board if I remember correctly, maybe even 3DFX) and also a little game called Max Payne. Maybe you've heard of it
They don't back out at the last minute like pepsi did with Pepsi Points buying a Harrier (ok, so it didn't really happen)
You might call me silly for doing all this, but I feel the software writers deserve it.
Programmers/musicians may deserve it, but if you're buying a "used" anything, they won't get a dime. I think that makes a good argument for the business model behind EMusic. If I buy a used CD, the artist never sees a dime. If I grab it from a place like EMusic, they at least get *some* compensation. Plus I get the ability to download it from anywhere that has an internet connection. And no stupid music copy protection!
Off the soap box now...
I support disseminating Linux as freely as AOL does its CDs.
Perhaps that might be a good idea.
Not only is this a good idea, people are already doing it: http://www.demolinux.org.
Feel free to stop by there, download an ISO, burn a dozen copies and give them to any non-linux using family members and friends.
Taint mode? If that's what I think it is, this means Microsoft is even closer to crap than ever before!
I never had an Amiga, but I'm fascinated by "old" computers (anything older than 3 years is ancient history, right? <grin>)
Anyway, for people looking for a slightly lower cost (but legal) solution, check out Amiga Forever, a commercial distribution of UAE that comes with *every* version of the Amiga Kickstart ROMs and Workbench disks! And this isn't a warez CD either... these are legitimately licensed from (insert current company that owns Amiga's IP). I believe it also includes some commercial software and software that will allow you to mount Amiga hard drives as network drives under Windows. Might be worth a look for former/current Amiga fans.
I know it's not the same thing as playing on a real cab, but since there appears to only be 3 left in existence...
http://www.mame.dk/gameinfo/arcadecl
The screen shot is of Super Centipede, but it is the same game. And it has been supported in MAME for quite some time. Check it out!
At least the open source SDL will live on in someway, so all their effort will not be totally wasted.
Even better, Sam Lantinga (sp?) works for Blizzard now and is the creator/maintainer of SDL. SDL is alive and kicking. And it is good.
Unfortunately it makes me think of Bio-Dome with Pauly Shore and Stephen Baldwin.
*shivers*
Geek propaganda engine Slashdot posts it's 3,651st duplicate story. Come on guys, it's a new year... isn't there anything new to talk about yet?