There were also a lot of murmurs around during the lead-up to Blu-ray's launch that many of the studios declaring exclusivity to Blu-Ray were being paid to do so.
The reason upconversion on the player side makes sense is because it happens in the digital domain. Whereas if you go over component and have your TV upconvert it, it's lossier - it has to go to analog and then back to digital again and then gets upconverted.
Past that it just becomes a matter of which thing is better at conversion, your player or your TV.
The main gain from upconverting players is that they force you to use a 100% digital connection.
...that in my opinion the majority of the great DS games are 3rd party. I've been talking about Nintendo's first party software here, which even on the DS is a little underwhelming (Mario Kart, Mario 64DS, Advance Wars and Kirby are great, NMSB is ok, and the non-games don't really appeal to me).
Almost all of my favorite DS games were 3rd party.
Well, my main problem is that I burn through games - I have a 45 minute train ride to and from work.
I had literally played every game of interest and note. Last March, I was looking ahead at the calendar and there was nothing on the horizon of interest except for Zelda, so I sold it (and, heresy of heresies, got a PSP). I figured I'd pick one back up come winter.
I haven't really regretted it; nothing good has come out since then and there still isn't much other than Zelda on the horizon - though I imagine that may change at E3.
Definitely Starfox Command - it was pretty weak. I tried so hard to enjoy it but failed.
Sorry but Metroid was not that great - positively carpal-inducing controls and it just felt like Quake 2 on a handheld; nothing particularly Metroid about it.
Both of those were outsourced. The worst offenders, though, were the awful Yoshi's Island game and Partners in Time. Dry games that were complete rehashes of previous installments and failed to capture the charm or fun of their predecessors.
Mario basketball and Princess Peach were astoundingly mediocre as well.
That said, I agree 100% on Mario Kart and 80% on NSMB (I liked it but did not love it). I'd also throw in the brilliant Kirby's Canvas Curse, which is one of the more memorable and unique games on the system. But it seems like the first party stuff misses more than it hits these days.
It's fun. Wii sports is a great party game. It works ok for FPS gaming. But a control scheme becomes transparent once you're playing the game - after a certain point the game has to stand on its own, fancy controller or not.
I was sold on the controller at the outset and hoped it would create new experiences. It does that but so far those experiences seem very shallow.
I'm not whining because my hobby's being devalued - the more the merrier - I'm simply sad that Nintendo's changing directions and it's not a direction that interests me.
Don't get me wrong - I'm still excited about the Zelda's and Metroid's of the world. But a lot of Nintendo's franchises on the DS felt very phoned in (and most of them were outsourced) and it seems like they're so focused on the casual segment that they're not really coming up with new ideas for the traditional gamer.
It's the trend I'm seeing here. It started with the DS - which I ended up selling out of disinterest - and it's continuing onto the Wii. More and more focus on getting non-gamers and party games, nothing new for the existing gamer base.
My point was that they announced new casual / non-games, and said "Hey we're not forgetting about the hardcore" but didn't show us anything new to prove that.
...because they seem less and less interested in me.
And as someone who has owned literally every Nintendo console ever (yes, even the Virtual Boy, though not yet the Wii as it hasn't yet sold me) that makes me pretty sad.
Of course I understand why they're doing this from a business point of view. But as a long-time, moderate gamer, I don't really care - I'm a fan of their games, not their business - I just want good, engaging, and deep games to play. And that's not the direction they're going. I have seen the future and it's a collection of mini-games.
Sorry Nintendo, but Wii Yoga isn't going to win me back. I see a lot of new experiences for non-gamers, but for all its promise the Wiimote has yet to really add anything compelling to traditional gaming (waggle doesn't really count). I didn't see anything in that conference to convince me otherwise.
And you know this how exactly? Is sensing "innovation" from games a 6th sense? Do you use a divining rod to find out which games are and aren't innovative? Or is it like pornography, you just know it when you see it?
I agree with the grandparent; the innovation trumpet is blown way to often and for no good reason. It's the single most annoying, overhyped meme by fanboys today.
Innovation can happen in small doses. We don't need to reinvent the wheel every time someone makes a game, so long as they're making improvements or new additions to established ideas.
When I built my new computer though I wanted to upgrade to Vista, just get the upgrade done in one fell swoop.
But there's no drivers available for half of my hardware - namely everything that M-Audio makes. I'm not going to repurchase every single piece of sound production hardware I own on "good faith," sorry MS.
You've constructed quite a nice straw man of what you think the typical audiophile believes, but you're quite wrong. A large number of audiophiles are fine with digital provided it has adequate resolution - SACD and DVD-Audio sound indistinguishable from analog to me.
It's low-resolution digital that's the problem, not digital in general.
I'm with you, I really like the PSP. I think it has a good library; I actually like the multi-platform releases, since I have more time to play the PSP than I do my 360. And it's multi-faceted in a way that the DS is not. I can't imagine commuting without it.
But: It should be a little smaller; it's tough to even fit it in my coat pocket sometimes, since you have to keep it in a case due to the unprotected screen and thumbstick. I also wish it had built-in bluetooth, because once you use A2DP headphones you'll never go back. If they want me to use it as an MP3 player, it should really resume playing when I bring it back from suspend mode
People are overly hard on the device. I'm not sure if it's fierce territoriality by Nintendo fans or what, but the fact is that the PSP is the first successful handheld gaming device by any company other than Nintendo.
Unfortunately, those 20 million people don't buy very many games - with an install base that big there should be more than 7 or 8 games that have sold more than a million. I think this is because they've captured the casual Madden crowd but completely failed to win over the hard core gamers, as evidenced by the anti-PSP meme you see all over the net.
I've seen - and experienced - the same problems but in my experience PSP Video 9's latest release is able to make videos that show up and play at full res.
With the exception of your last point about battery backup, just google for the Panamax Max 8 Coax PRO. It has 4 outlets that are switched by a 12V trigger, and 4 outlets that are not. All of the outlets have surge protection.
You could solve the battery problem by plugging the Panamax into the UPS. Then the unswitched outlets would have UPS.
Syphon Filter Daxter (both of which had price drops to $20 this week as well) Pursuit Force Chili Con Carnage Ratchet & Clank Killzone
The whole "the PSP has no games" meme may have been true at one time, but it just doesn't hold anymore. At this point I think it has nearly as strong of a library as the DS (the DS has more good games, but those games tend to have less lasting power). It might have a lot of ports as well, but I personally don't mind that - being a commuter, I like having the option of buying the portable version of a game.
Also, there's an upgrade coming for the HD DVD player for the current Xbox allowing DTS audio instead of just Dolby. DTS is less compressed. There are other improvements in audio quality coming in that as well.
Do you have a source for this? Because if that's true I'd be extremely excited. That would address my main complaint about the 360's HD-DVD capabilities.
I can see why the PSP might not appeal to some, but it's a great system for commuters. I spend about 80 minutes commuting each day. I literally have more time for gaming on the train than I do at home.
I've owned a DS since launch and using it at that kind of volume, it wears thin. There's a lot of great games but the vast majority of the library is simple games meant for short, quick gaming sessions. Again, I'm not saying there aren't great games - believe me, there are - and I played them all. But at a certain point there's something appealing about having a portable version of the home console experience. I know I'm not the typical gamer, but I honestly don't mind the multi-platform releases it gets - I'm more likely to play multi-platform releases like Marvel Ultimate Alliance on my PSP at this point than I am at home, simply because I have more time for gaming on the train.
I'm sure I'll get called names, be accused of astroturfing, and all of the other ad hominem attacks that seem to plague any and all discussions of the PSP. I don't really get that meme; people act like the system uses small disc-shaped Hitlers for the games or something. The DS has a larger, stronger library, there's no doubt about that, but there's still an awful lot of fun to be had on the PSP, especially if the "portable home console" experience suits your needs (i.e., you travel a lot, commute, etc).
(This may be a double-post, sorry if it is; my other post got eaten)
This has nothing to do with net neutrality. It would be a service offered by AT&T, using MS technology. It would be no different than how Comcast uses its bandwidth to offer digital cable programming and VOIP to their customers.
They launched a new gaming store inside their store, and were using the rebate offer to lure new customers into the store. It seemed to be working too, I certainly wouldn't have known about the store if not for the rebate (my brother-in-law had me pick one up for him).
Slashdot Mirror
There were also a lot of murmurs around during the lead-up to Blu-ray's launch that many of the studios declaring exclusivity to Blu-Ray were being paid to do so.
You can be 100% positive about whether or not they will have it, seeing as they haven't made a single 360 with that process yet.
For when they do, you can view the manufacturing date of the console by flipping up the little cardboard flap on the side of the box.
...of upconversion.
The reason upconversion on the player side makes sense is because it happens in the digital domain. Whereas if you go over component and have your TV upconvert it, it's lossier - it has to go to analog and then back to digital again and then gets upconverted.
Past that it just becomes a matter of which thing is better at conversion, your player or your TV.
The main gain from upconverting players is that they force you to use a 100% digital connection.
...not a space shooter.
...that in my opinion the majority of the great DS games are 3rd party. I've been talking about Nintendo's first party software here, which even on the DS is a little underwhelming (Mario Kart, Mario 64DS, Advance Wars and Kirby are great, NMSB is ok, and the non-games don't really appeal to me).
Almost all of my favorite DS games were 3rd party.
Well, my main problem is that I burn through games - I have a 45 minute train ride to and from work.
I had literally played every game of interest and note. Last March, I was looking ahead at the calendar and there was nothing on the horizon of interest except for Zelda, so I sold it (and, heresy of heresies, got a PSP). I figured I'd pick one back up come winter.
I haven't really regretted it; nothing good has come out since then and there still isn't much other than Zelda on the horizon - though I imagine that may change at E3.
Definitely Starfox Command - it was pretty weak. I tried so hard to enjoy it but failed.
Sorry but Metroid was not that great - positively carpal-inducing controls and it just felt like Quake 2 on a handheld; nothing particularly Metroid about it.
Both of those were outsourced. The worst offenders, though, were the awful Yoshi's Island game and Partners in Time. Dry games that were complete rehashes of previous installments and failed to capture the charm or fun of their predecessors.
Mario basketball and Princess Peach were astoundingly mediocre as well.
That said, I agree 100% on Mario Kart and 80% on NSMB (I liked it but did not love it). I'd also throw in the brilliant Kirby's Canvas Curse, which is one of the more memorable and unique games on the system. But it seems like the first party stuff misses more than it hits these days.
It's fun. Wii sports is a great party game. It works ok for FPS gaming. But a control scheme becomes transparent once you're playing the game - after a certain point the game has to stand on its own, fancy controller or not.
I was sold on the controller at the outset and hoped it would create new experiences. It does that but so far those experiences seem very shallow.
I'm not whining because my hobby's being devalued - the more the merrier - I'm simply sad that Nintendo's changing directions and it's not a direction that interests me.
Don't get me wrong - I'm still excited about the Zelda's and Metroid's of the world. But a lot of Nintendo's franchises on the DS felt very phoned in (and most of them were outsourced) and it seems like they're so focused on the casual segment that they're not really coming up with new ideas for the traditional gamer.
It's the trend I'm seeing here. It started with the DS - which I ended up selling out of disinterest - and it's continuing onto the Wii. More and more focus on getting non-gamers and party games, nothing new for the existing gamer base.
My point was that they announced new casual / non-games, and said "Hey we're not forgetting about the hardcore" but didn't show us anything new to prove that.
...because they seem less and less interested in me.
And as someone who has owned literally every Nintendo console ever (yes, even the Virtual Boy, though not yet the Wii as it hasn't yet sold me) that makes me pretty sad.
Of course I understand why they're doing this from a business point of view. But as a long-time, moderate gamer, I don't really care - I'm a fan of their games, not their business - I just want good, engaging, and deep games to play. And that's not the direction they're going. I have seen the future and it's a collection of mini-games.
Sorry Nintendo, but Wii Yoga isn't going to win me back. I see a lot of new experiences for non-gamers, but for all its promise the Wiimote has yet to really add anything compelling to traditional gaming (waggle doesn't really count). I didn't see anything in that conference to convince me otherwise.
...aren't innovative enough?
And you know this how exactly? Is sensing "innovation" from games a 6th sense? Do you use a divining rod to find out which games are and aren't innovative? Or is it like pornography, you just know it when you see it?
I agree with the grandparent; the innovation trumpet is blown way to often and for no good reason. It's the single most annoying, overhyped meme by fanboys today.
Innovation can happen in small doses. We don't need to reinvent the wheel every time someone makes a game, so long as they're making improvements or new additions to established ideas.
I know, I know.
When I built my new computer though I wanted to upgrade to Vista, just get the upgrade done in one fell swoop.
But there's no drivers available for half of my hardware - namely everything that M-Audio makes. I'm not going to repurchase every single piece of sound production hardware I own on "good faith," sorry MS.
You've constructed quite a nice straw man of what you think the typical audiophile believes, but you're quite wrong. A large number of audiophiles are fine with digital provided it has adequate resolution - SACD and DVD-Audio sound indistinguishable from analog to me.
It's low-resolution digital that's the problem, not digital in general.
I'm not sure how I missed that.
...and none of them asked for a "Mark as read" button?
...without being branded a shill anymore.
I'm with you, I really like the PSP. I think it has a good library; I actually like the multi-platform releases, since I have more time to play the PSP than I do my 360. And it's multi-faceted in a way that the DS is not. I can't imagine commuting without it.
But:
It should be a little smaller; it's tough to even fit it in my coat pocket sometimes, since you have to keep it in a case due to the unprotected screen and thumbstick.
I also wish it had built-in bluetooth, because once you use A2DP headphones you'll never go back.
If they want me to use it as an MP3 player, it should really resume playing when I bring it back from suspend mode
People are overly hard on the device. I'm not sure if it's fierce territoriality by Nintendo fans or what, but the fact is that the PSP is the first successful handheld gaming device by any company other than Nintendo.
Unfortunately, those 20 million people don't buy very many games - with an install base that big there should be more than 7 or 8 games that have sold more than a million. I think this is because they've captured the casual Madden crowd but completely failed to win over the hard core gamers, as evidenced by the anti-PSP meme you see all over the net.
I've seen - and experienced - the same problems but in my experience PSP Video 9's latest release is able to make videos that show up and play at full res.
With the exception of your last point about battery backup, just google for the Panamax Max 8 Coax PRO. It has 4 outlets that are switched by a 12V trigger, and 4 outlets that are not. All of the outlets have surge protection.
You could solve the battery problem by plugging the Panamax into the UPS. Then the unswitched outlets would have UPS.
Syphon Filter
Daxter (both of which had price drops to $20 this week as well)
Pursuit Force
Chili Con Carnage
Ratchet & Clank
Killzone
The whole "the PSP has no games" meme may have been true at one time, but it just doesn't hold anymore. At this point I think it has nearly as strong of a library as the DS (the DS has more good games, but those games tend to have less lasting power). It might have a lot of ports as well, but I personally don't mind that - being a commuter, I like having the option of buying the portable version of a game.
Do you have a source for this? Because if that's true I'd be extremely excited. That would address my main complaint about the 360's HD-DVD capabilities.
I can see why the PSP might not appeal to some, but it's a great system for commuters. I spend about 80 minutes commuting each day. I literally have more time for gaming on the train than I do at home.
I've owned a DS since launch and using it at that kind of volume, it wears thin. There's a lot of great games but the vast majority of the library is simple games meant for short, quick gaming sessions. Again, I'm not saying there aren't great games - believe me, there are - and I played them all. But at a certain point there's something appealing about having a portable version of the home console experience. I know I'm not the typical gamer, but I honestly don't mind the multi-platform releases it gets - I'm more likely to play multi-platform releases like Marvel Ultimate Alliance on my PSP at this point than I am at home, simply because I have more time for gaming on the train.
I'm sure I'll get called names, be accused of astroturfing, and all of the other ad hominem attacks that seem to plague any and all discussions of the PSP. I don't really get that meme; people act like the system uses small disc-shaped Hitlers for the games or something. The DS has a larger, stronger library, there's no doubt about that, but there's still an awful lot of fun to be had on the PSP, especially if the "portable home console" experience suits your needs (i.e., you travel a lot, commute, etc).
n/t
(This may be a double-post, sorry if it is; my other post got eaten)
This has nothing to do with net neutrality. It would be a service offered by AT&T, using MS technology. It would be no different than how Comcast uses its bandwidth to offer digital cable programming and VOIP to their customers.
Microcenter offered that rebate.
They launched a new gaming store inside their store, and were using the rebate offer to lure new customers into the store. It seemed to be working too, I certainly wouldn't have known about the store if not for the rebate (my brother-in-law had me pick one up for him).
That's video on demand.
IPTV is essentially cable over the internet. You flip channels, record programs, pause live TV, etc.