Fifteen years ago you could develop/produce a game with a team of three people with minimal costs. Now a big name title will easily have fifteen people working on it, if not more, take several years to put together and cost millions.
Most of those millions go to licensing, marketing, and occasionally name-brand voice talent.
Regardless, Microsoft doesn't rely on that stuff for their gaming division to be profitable. All they need to do is sell the 360 for the same or more than it costs to manufacture it, then sit back and collect royalties on those expensive games (even if those games fail to turn a profit for their developer).
Unfortunately for them, they can't sell the 360 at a profit and still compete with Sony on price, and marketshare is more important to them than profit right now.
Microsoft doesn't remember how to make money without owning the entire market. It seems clear that their plan for the 360 is to get themselves into a monopolistic position with their codecs, DRM, and interactive content combination. Once they've done that they can fall back on their traditional innovation stifling, market milking business model. They don't necessarily care about having a profitable gaming division. What they really want is the ability to collect a royalty every time somebody buys digital media, and to use their new monopoly to shore up the old ones. Getting Xboxes into a majority of living rooms is step one in that process.
Compare this to Sony, who in response to all the hacking on the PSP made attempts to make the PS3 as open and compatible as they could while still keeping third party developers satisfied that piracy wouldn't be rampant. Allowing Linux on the PS3 (as opposed to being a completely closed platform), using DLNA/UPnP media services (instead of limiting the user to Windows Vista/MCE), including a variety of memory readers (instead of the traditional memory card/Sony MemoryStick only), allowing transit of content between the PSP and the PS3 so you don't have to pay for content twice if you want it on both platforms, etc... Plus they're completely open about the fact that they're using the PS3 to push BluRay adoption.
Sony does wrong and the community is willing to shun them forever, but for some reason they're willing to trust Microsoft to not be up to no good, even though their gaming division's bottom line suggests that they have an ulterior motive...
The older versions of this TV may have the problems that you are mentioning, but the newer-firmware (hardware too?) versions don't.
I've never had it lock up and need to be unplugged in the 6 months I've owned it. It works fine with the PS3, despite issues with the earlier model, etc.
My only issue with it is the unacceptably poor upscaling from 480i. However I have overcome that limitation using external scaling.
My problem with Comcast was never how fast it could be. It was the frequency at which it wasn't working at all.
When they work on reliability, up-stream, and price, then maybe they'll deserve some "props". For now, Fios is kicking their ass up and down the block. Even these theoretical burst rates can't compete, plus Fios is cheaper and more reliable. Sorry Comcast.
Yes, and your cable connection uses a shared upstream connection once it reaches the CO too. The difference is that the "last-mile" connection is also shared. Either can become a bottleneck depending on traffic.
Of course the internet traverses shared lines. That's practically the point of the internet.
You can get the 47" Westinghouse 1080p at BJ's Wholesale Club for $1299.
It's excellent. It's also really light-weight (60lbs), allowing you to use one of the (much less expensive) wall mounts that are made for a smaller television.
Corn. Which is what we make Ethanol out of. The extra demand for corn has sent feed prices up to almost double what they were a year ago, and we haven't even significantly adopted Ethanol yet.
Meanwhile, you'll note that programs for midwestern corn and livestock farmers are doing quite well...
We're soon to be paying them twice. We're so gung-ho about switching to ethanol from gasoline that we forgot to stop and think about what New England dairy farmers feed their livestock.
Everybody who lives in the city should be forced to live in a rural area for at least one year of their adult life.
While what you say is true, given what *everybody* else charges for the equivalent services, I simply can't afford to switch simply to make a point.Some day when I have an additional $100 a moth burning a hole in my pocket, maybe I'll "teach them a lesson".
In reality the problem is caused because the public has granted them exclusive access to a public resource without any regulations as to how they must treat their customers. So the self regulation provided by the free market is distorted, and there's no regulation to correct it.
I have a really hard time believing that. It's a discontinued item that they never made very many of in the first place, so there shouldn't be that many in one store, and you store's inventory control manager shouldn't be letting you use multi-hundred dollar unopened items as doorstops.
Lastly, if you put them out on the floor instead of leaving them in the back room, you'd probably sell them... (If your story was really true)
Then again, maybe you can't find them anywhere because they were all shipped to your Circuit City.. And people are apt to do stupid things when they think they're funny/when they own the other type of console. Either way, remind me not to purchase things like that from Circuit City anymore... Seeing as there's a chance the hard drive has been whacked around for fun.
The start-up I currently work for is finding it near impossible to find "native" US workers to fill it's engineering reqs. It's not about the salary either, because we offer above average pay. There just aren't enough mid to entry level American software engineers available on the market. Maybe it's different in other parts of the country (we're outside of Boston, MA), but the number of available positions here is definitely larger than the talent pool.
I'm a "racing fan" for sure:-) (well, fan of a LOT of genres, including fighting games which atm I'd go with Xbox for due to DOA4's exclusivity. I LOVE Smash but it's in its own genre for me)
Gran Turismo games as far as "racing fans" are concerned are a bit of a joke compared to Forza. The physics model and racing customization just isn't on the same level. They're more popular because they're Sony games for Sony systems. But the MS Racing Wheel is basically the undisputable trump card.
Eh. I'm fully willing to admit that I just don't "get it" when it comes to technical racers. I'll take your word for it. I'll play and enjoy a "Wipeout", "Burnout", or "Mario Kart", but those realistic ones just don't do it for me.
Well as far as RPGs go, Bioware is still sticking with Xbox so for fans of those games that makes a difference (or, at least, might make up for FFXIII being on PS3...).
Yeah, I always forget about Bioware because, personally (yes, I'm in a minority with this), I tend to severely dislike their RPGs; Mainly due to their wretched interfaces. Plus they all come out for the PC too.
As for platformers, until Wii gets Mario Galaxy I'm not sure it's ahead really... 360 has Kameo and hopefully Rare will show us some Banjo 3 in a bit here (but who knows).
Yeah, but the Wii has all those SNES and TurboGrafx classics, Paper Mario, etc... It will also likely be the platform of choice for new 2D platformers. PS3 is getting Rachet and Clank (1000x better than Banjo IMO), and LittleBigPlanet (Which I'd put more in the puzzle genre) but it's still seemingly no-contest in favor of the Wii.
For racing, 360 is well ahead with not only better games (PGR, Forza) but the pricey-yet-actually-good Racing Wheel.
Yeah, but the PS3 is getting GT4/HD/Whatever they're calling it. I know 360 zealots will proclaim Forza as superior, but that's both subjective and questionable. Plus Gran Turismo has the franchise following and Forza doesn't. Racing ends up being one of those genres that works everywhere, with zillions of different titles. Sure there'll be the subset of people who are really, really in to technical racers, but I get the impression that they're a minority. I don't see any console "winning" the racing race. It will be interesting to see if any of the more technical games incorporate use of the tilt sensors in the PS3 and Wii controllers. I think that has the possibility of bringing a whole new dimension into those games; especially since those sensors seem to be more sensitive, and more accurate to use than the low quality analog thumb-sticks that have become the industry staple. Both platforms have more casual racers that use the tilt control for either acceleration (where I think it's best suited), steering, or both, and it's quite enjoyable to play those games that way.
When they first came out, sure, but now BluRay prices are within a few dollars for the DVD price, and rentals cost the same... If you don't have an HDTV, you'd be nuts to buy a PS3, but if you've got a 1080p set it's totally worth it.
Incidentally, I've bought the system, and 4 games. I've spent $27 on games. The downloadable game selection has kept me plenty entertained, the games are cheap, and unlike on the Wii, they're actually made for the system (they use all the capabilities). And who needs an extra controller unless you have a plurality of kids? Multiplayer is online these days, and if you've got a group over that's what the Wii is for.
If I could only have one (I don't fall into that category... I usually buy them all.), personally I'd pick the Wii if I didn't have an HDTV, and the PS3 if I did. I don't see the 360 as FAR better across the board in game selection... It does have a FAR better selection of tactical and first-person shooters, sure. But sports? They're all the same. Platformers? Wii wins easy. Puzzle games? PS3 hands down. The Wii and the PS3 are on their way to a substantial lead in RPGs (both action and Japanese style) over the 360 too. It's no question where all the quirky/cult/genre defying Japanese titles will end up either. Really though, for most serious gamers that have full-time employment, it's not a question of "which", but "in what order".
If Nintendo keeps shipping approximately zero Wiis into the US market, the gap will close eventually.
There are several stores in my area, including my local Target, who have said they haven't had a Wii shipment in over a month. Easy to be "sold out" of something you never have in the first place...
There is no excuse for a shortage anymore. They should be able to meet demand by now.
I hate when people misuse the word "hermetically". To the point where I'm willing to take the karma hit from an offtopic moderation:
Hermetically \Her*met"ic*al*ly\, adv.
1. In an hermetical manner; chemically. --Boyle.
[1913 Webster]
2. By fusion, so as to form an air-tight closure.
[1913 Webster]
Note: A vessel or tube is hermetically sealed when it is
closed completely against the passage of air or other
fluid by fusing the extremity; -- sometimes less
properly applied to any air-tight closure.
[1913 Webster]
This is a huge turnaround for Microsoft, and what many people were waiting for (this, and evidence that they've actually solved the problem) to purchase a 360.
However, are we now going to get the much desired retraction from all the 360 fanboys who's anecdotal evidence "proved" that this problem wasn't widespread, or are we going to have to be satisfied with the usual semi-collective "I told you so"?
Microsoft is claiming this is going to cost them over a billion (1.15) dollars. If you assume that 300 mil is used for administrative fees, and you divide by the approximate manufacturing costs of the unit, you get something like 2.66 million 360s that they're planning on replacing. Basically a third of all the 360s sold to end users to date. Fun!
Read what I wrote. I wrote "Organic farming, IF applied correct, is better for the soil than robots like this".
I did read what you wrote, and it's nonsensical and incorrect. Using a robot like this is organic farming, thus can't be "better".
Also, I hate the term organic not because of any bias, but because it is a roll-up term that is used for many practices (hence the comparison to "IP"). So when somebody says "Organic" or even in some cases "Certified Organic" you don't necessarily have any good idea of what they mean. In other words, I dislike it because it's misleading, not because I'm opposed to it in some manner.
And lastly, when I said "The real problem with them from the "organic" [...] is the run-off from the chemicals they use to keep their soils that way.", I meant that the non-organic farmers cause chemical run-off. I was actually taking your side, but you were so busy incorrectly assuming that my pointing out your inaccuracies was due to non-existent bias to actually realize it.
Why was I hateful and on the offensive? Because I get angered by people who are passionate about something they don't actually understand, especially when they've clearly fooled themselves into believing that they do understand. I wasn't pushing you to commit suicide. I was ironically following your broken logic to it's obvious conclusion.
Organic farming, IF applied correct, is better for the soil than robots like this
Why are you under the mistaken impression that organic farmers don't eliminate weeds? Use of this robot would still allow farmers to label their crop as organic. In fact it may increase the number of "organic" farmers if it means they can replace their herbicides with this thing.
I also don't know where you get the impression that industrial farms have soils that are "in quite bad conditions". Sure, there are problems like that in countries where they clear-cut, and then farm the land to death, but modern industrial farms keep their soil in excellent condition. They need to in order to be profitable. The real problem with them from the "organic" (can you tell I hate that term? It's worse than "IP") is the run-off from the chemicals they use to keep their soils that way.
You're right though. Humans are too much of a burden on nature. You can (should) help the problem by sitting on a compost heap and slitting your wrists.
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Most of those millions go to licensing, marketing, and occasionally name-brand voice talent.
Regardless, Microsoft doesn't rely on that stuff for their gaming division to be profitable. All they need to do is sell the 360 for the same or more than it costs to manufacture it, then sit back and collect royalties on those expensive games (even if those games fail to turn a profit for their developer).
Unfortunately for them, they can't sell the 360 at a profit and still compete with Sony on price, and marketshare is more important to them than profit right now.
And can I spray it on the mildew on the inside of my shower curtain? Without harming my septic system?
Microsoft doesn't remember how to make money without owning the entire market. It seems clear that their plan for the 360 is to get themselves into a monopolistic position with their codecs, DRM, and interactive content combination. Once they've done that they can fall back on their traditional innovation stifling, market milking business model. They don't necessarily care about having a profitable gaming division. What they really want is the ability to collect a royalty every time somebody buys digital media, and to use their new monopoly to shore up the old ones. Getting Xboxes into a majority of living rooms is step one in that process.
Compare this to Sony, who in response to all the hacking on the PSP made attempts to make the PS3 as open and compatible as they could while still keeping third party developers satisfied that piracy wouldn't be rampant. Allowing Linux on the PS3 (as opposed to being a completely closed platform), using DLNA/UPnP media services (instead of limiting the user to Windows Vista/MCE), including a variety of memory readers (instead of the traditional memory card/Sony MemoryStick only), allowing transit of content between the PSP and the PS3 so you don't have to pay for content twice if you want it on both platforms, etc... Plus they're completely open about the fact that they're using the PS3 to push BluRay adoption.
Sony does wrong and the community is willing to shun them forever, but for some reason they're willing to trust Microsoft to not be up to no good, even though their gaming division's bottom line suggests that they have an ulterior motive...
Westinghouse quietly resolved this issue in a newer firmware.
I've never had any issues with my PS3 and the Westinghouse television.
The older versions of this TV may have the problems that you are mentioning, but the newer-firmware (hardware too?) versions don't.
I've never had it lock up and need to be unplugged in the 6 months I've owned it. It works fine with the PS3, despite issues with the earlier model, etc.
My only issue with it is the unacceptably poor upscaling from 480i. However I have overcome that limitation using external scaling.
My problem with Comcast was never how fast it could be. It was the frequency at which it wasn't working at all.
When they work on reliability, up-stream, and price, then maybe they'll deserve some "props". For now, Fios is kicking their ass up and down the block. Even these theoretical burst rates can't compete, plus Fios is cheaper and more reliable. Sorry Comcast.
Yes, and your cable connection uses a shared upstream connection once it reaches the CO too. The difference is that the "last-mile" connection is also shared. Either can become a bottleneck depending on traffic.
Of course the internet traverses shared lines. That's practically the point of the internet.
You can get the 47" Westinghouse 1080p at BJ's Wholesale Club for $1299.
It's excellent. It's also really light-weight (60lbs), allowing you to use one of the (much less expensive) wall mounts that are made for a smaller television.
Smart-ass.
Corn. Which is what we make Ethanol out of. The extra demand for corn has sent feed prices up to almost double what they were a year ago, and we haven't even significantly adopted Ethanol yet.
We're soon to be paying them twice. We're so gung-ho about switching to ethanol from gasoline that we forgot to stop and think about what New England dairy farmers feed their livestock.
Everybody who lives in the city should be forced to live in a rural area for at least one year of their adult life.
I've done the same thing the parent has done.
While what you say is true, given what *everybody* else charges for the equivalent services, I simply can't afford to switch simply to make a point.Some day when I have an additional $100 a moth burning a hole in my pocket, maybe I'll "teach them a lesson".
In reality the problem is caused because the public has granted them exclusive access to a public resource without any regulations as to how they must treat their customers. So the self regulation provided by the free market is distorted, and there's no regulation to correct it.
I have a really hard time believing that. It's a discontinued item that they never made very many of in the first place, so there shouldn't be that many in one store, and you store's inventory control manager shouldn't be letting you use multi-hundred dollar unopened items as doorstops.
Lastly, if you put them out on the floor instead of leaving them in the back room, you'd probably sell them... (If your story was really true)
Then again, maybe you can't find them anywhere because they were all shipped to your Circuit City.. And people are apt to do stupid things when they think they're funny/when they own the other type of console. Either way, remind me not to purchase things like that from Circuit City anymore... Seeing as there's a chance the hard drive has been whacked around for fun.
The start-up I currently work for is finding it near impossible to find "native" US workers to fill it's engineering reqs. It's not about the salary either, because we offer above average pay. There just aren't enough mid to entry level American software engineers available on the market. Maybe it's different in other parts of the country (we're outside of Boston, MA), but the number of available positions here is definitely larger than the talent pool.
Eh. I'm fully willing to admit that I just don't "get it" when it comes to technical racers. I'll take your word for it. I'll play and enjoy a "Wipeout", "Burnout", or "Mario Kart", but those realistic ones just don't do it for me.
Yeah, I always forget about Bioware because, personally (yes, I'm in a minority with this), I tend to severely dislike their RPGs; Mainly due to their wretched interfaces. Plus they all come out for the PC too.
Yeah, but the Wii has all those SNES and TurboGrafx classics, Paper Mario, etc... It will also likely be the platform of choice for new 2D platformers. PS3 is getting Rachet and Clank (1000x better than Banjo IMO), and LittleBigPlanet (Which I'd put more in the puzzle genre) but it's still seemingly no-contest in favor of the Wii.
Yeah, but the PS3 is getting GT4/HD/Whatever they're calling it. I know 360 zealots will proclaim Forza as superior, but that's both subjective and questionable. Plus Gran Turismo has the franchise following and Forza doesn't. Racing ends up being one of those genres that works everywhere, with zillions of different titles. Sure there'll be the subset of people who are really, really in to technical racers, but I get the impression that they're a minority. I don't see any console "winning" the racing race. It will be interesting to see if any of the more technical games incorporate use of the tilt sensors in the PS3 and Wii controllers. I think that has the possibility of bringing a whole new dimension into those games; especially since those sensors seem to be more sensitive, and more accurate to use than the low quality analog thumb-sticks that have become the industry staple. Both platforms have more casual racers that use the tilt control for either acceleration (where I think it's best suited), steering, or both, and it's quite enjoyable to play those games that way.
Oddly, yes.
:D
I'm both a dork, and a pedant.
Incidentally, I was correcting his contextual usage, not his grammatical usage.
It seems to me that he was implying that the "difficult to open" iPhone case was hermetically sealed. If he wasn't, then sure, I was off base.
When they first came out, sure, but now BluRay prices are within a few dollars for the DVD price, and rentals cost the same... If you don't have an HDTV, you'd be nuts to buy a PS3, but if you've got a 1080p set it's totally worth it.
Incidentally, I've bought the system, and 4 games. I've spent $27 on games. The downloadable game selection has kept me plenty entertained, the games are cheap, and unlike on the Wii, they're actually made for the system (they use all the capabilities). And who needs an extra controller unless you have a plurality of kids? Multiplayer is online these days, and if you've got a group over that's what the Wii is for.
If I could only have one (I don't fall into that category... I usually buy them all.), personally I'd pick the Wii if I didn't have an HDTV, and the PS3 if I did. I don't see the 360 as FAR better across the board in game selection... It does have a FAR better selection of tactical and first-person shooters, sure. But sports? They're all the same. Platformers? Wii wins easy. Puzzle games? PS3 hands down. The Wii and the PS3 are on their way to a substantial lead in RPGs (both action and Japanese style) over the 360 too. It's no question where all the quirky/cult/genre defying Japanese titles will end up either. Really though, for most serious gamers that have full-time employment, it's not a question of "which", but "in what order".
If Nintendo keeps shipping approximately zero Wiis into the US market, the gap will close eventually.
There are several stores in my area, including my local Target, who have said they haven't had a Wii shipment in over a month. Easy to be "sold out" of something you never have in the first place...
There is no excuse for a shortage anymore. They should be able to meet demand by now.
I hate when people misuse the word "hermetically". To the point where I'm willing to take the karma hit from an offtopic moderation:
Hermetically \Her*met"ic*al*ly\, adv.
1. In an hermetical manner; chemically. --Boyle.
[1913 Webster]
2. By fusion, so as to form an air-tight closure.
[1913 Webster]
Note: A vessel or tube is hermetically sealed when it is
closed completely against the passage of air or other
fluid by fusing the extremity; -- sometimes less
properly applied to any air-tight closure.
[1913 Webster]
Good luck with that. A week after release they were all sold, and they never really shipped any more. I saw one at target once before Christmas.
This is a huge turnaround for Microsoft, and what many people were waiting for (this, and evidence that they've actually solved the problem) to purchase a 360.
However, are we now going to get the much desired retraction from all the 360 fanboys who's anecdotal evidence "proved" that this problem wasn't widespread, or are we going to have to be satisfied with the usual semi-collective "I told you so"?
Microsoft is claiming this is going to cost them over a billion (1.15) dollars. If you assume that 300 mil is used for administrative fees, and you divide by the approximate manufacturing costs of the unit, you get something like 2.66 million 360s that they're planning on replacing. Basically a third of all the 360s sold to end users to date. Fun!
I did already know the answer, of course, but what actually does surprise me is that I didn't get modded down.
I did read what you wrote, and it's nonsensical and incorrect. Using a robot like this is organic farming, thus can't be "better".
Also, I hate the term organic not because of any bias, but because it is a roll-up term that is used for many practices (hence the comparison to "IP"). So when somebody says "Organic" or even in some cases "Certified Organic" you don't necessarily have any good idea of what they mean. In other words, I dislike it because it's misleading, not because I'm opposed to it in some manner.
And lastly, when I said "The real problem with them from the "organic" [...] is the run-off from the chemicals they use to keep their soils that way.", I meant that the non-organic farmers cause chemical run-off. I was actually taking your side, but you were so busy incorrectly assuming that my pointing out your inaccuracies was due to non-existent bias to actually realize it.
Why was I hateful and on the offensive? Because I get angered by people who are passionate about something they don't actually understand, especially when they've clearly fooled themselves into believing that they do understand. I wasn't pushing you to commit suicide. I was ironically following your broken logic to it's obvious conclusion.
Why are you under the mistaken impression that organic farmers don't eliminate weeds? Use of this robot would still allow farmers to label their crop as organic. In fact it may increase the number of "organic" farmers if it means they can replace their herbicides with this thing.
I also don't know where you get the impression that industrial farms have soils that are "in quite bad conditions". Sure, there are problems like that in countries where they clear-cut, and then farm the land to death, but modern industrial farms keep their soil in excellent condition. They need to in order to be profitable. The real problem with them from the "organic" (can you tell I hate that term? It's worse than "IP") is the run-off from the chemicals they use to keep their soils that way.
You're right though. Humans are too much of a burden on nature. You can (should) help the problem by sitting on a compost heap and slitting your wrists.