I've been thirsting to play or develop some SNES or better sprite-based games. My brother and I used to dream of making them, but then harsh reality kicked in and we both worked in a warehouse/retail/office grunting stuff for the last 7 years. I went to college for a couple years for computer science, but frankly, I sucked at it.
I'm glad I wasn't alone in the almost vomited catagory. I'm sad that I wasn't strong enough to close out of it. It was so horrible I couldn't look away. Perhaps that grotesque dance is their aggressive marketing strategem...
It's okay, he was just playing Civ IV. We're in a golden age right now, but don't worry about that because it's going to end in 20 years or so. So, if you think building all these cultural advancements is going to help, you've got another thing coming. I just know that everyone thinks they're safe. But you just wait, because Genghis Khan is gonna come rollin' in here a couple turns later with his Keshiks and roll right over our modern armor. I know this, because it ALWAYS happens to me.
Do what I do. Plug every home entertainment item into a power strip and turn it off when you're at work. Turn it off when you're in bed. Do the same with your computer set up. Save some power bills. Save a bit of the environment. If I'm not home, my games, TV, stereo, everything is unpluged. Even my power adaptors. I started saving a good $5-10 a month doing that.
Sure, it makes it harder to do protien-folding calculations and the possibility of curing mad cow disease, but it'll save you a good deal money in the long run. On the other hand, if you feel convicted by not running SETI or F@H, well, then run it. Just my 2 cents.
Though I remember reading the article and I believe it has a great deal of validity... I'm not so sure I'd want my orthopedic sugeon (who is an amazing surgeon) playing Halo 2 deathmatch for 20 minutes before performing. Nor would I want to hear, "I totally pwnd that labram!" when he's finished. But, who knows.
The OP was merely pointing out that none of Nintendo's systems have flopped... and that he did forget about the not so venerable Virtual Boy. *Sigh*
So, even though their home console sold the least, they were the clear winners of the last generation with regards to profit. And I agree with your statement about their lack of 3rd party support.
While I agree with you that the browsing may be more of a gimmick, I still think that it will work out just fine. I have tried to use my computer on standard TV's, but it kills the eyes. DVD's are fine because they're disigned to work on either, but I know exactly what you mean. Pictures are big, and way out of focus.
As far as the zoom feature goes, I'm sure they'll be implementing it so it's more functional than we expect. This is Nintendo, and they don't tend to make anything half-assed. I watched the videos on the site, and it seems to be easy enough to use. Easy enough to be readable. But, like I said, I'll find out when I buy it and play it on my 12 year old TV.
Do you own either system (core or.... non-core)? Everyone I know hates the core for its lack of a HDD and its abundance of controller cords. That's it. But that's still enough to make me not fond of the core system. Yeah, for the most part, it plays the same games, but if you ever decide you want anything beyond the stripped down system, it's going to cost a LOT more than if you were to have bought the 'good' version from the get go.
Wii vs 360? You're right, one will deliver amazing graphics and hopefully the other will deliver amazing games. Nobody knows about the latter right now, but we will soon. And here's hoping. I'd like to have both systems, but I haven't found any 360 games that are MUST HAVE's yet. But I'll be looking. (Can you say Jade Empire, KOTOR, Fabel?)
Yeah, I still don't have any idea what was going on in that game. Thankfully, they put arrows at the top of your screen, and the main plot items were always on the top.
When I bought my laptop I figure, hey, why not, MCE is only 10 more bucks. I hate it with ever part of my being. Thankfully, I was at least able to disable it from noticing when I put DVDs into my computer and suck away all the file associations, but it still trys to rear its ugly code every once in a while. I don't see why it doesn't work if it's just an extention of WMP. DVD with WMP or PowerDVD runs fine on my the screen or on a remote screen, but with MCE it skips, audio doesn't decode properly, it sucks.
But what gets me the most is that after you look at a picture, listen to a song, attempt to make a playlist, or watch a movie, it's very eager to delete your files. Never again will I make that mistake.
I never noticed the gaps, but last night I grabed iTunes 7.0. It's pretty nice. Playback is a lot smoother now, but it seems to eat a lot more RAM. Oh, and it didn't download ANY cover art, not sure why, I have quite a few common CD's on my computer (possibly spelling errors and the like). It's not a big deal though, I have a nano and it's getting pretty full (3.2GB of 4GB, the point where you start to hold back, or delete unused content). This really makes me want an 8GB model now. Triple battery life, 8Gigs, and a screen that can burn through your rhaetena in seconds, or light your path for hours. Sweet.
I know during regular use my laptop is 1920x1080 and it says it's refresh is at 70Hz. Not sure if that's relevent, but let me know if that matters for FPS. I know when I'm playing WoW it's around 34FPS, but that's at a lower (1280x800?) resolution. I'm at work, can't really check.
There's no chance of being distracted by all that pesky work that's sitting on the computer waiting to be done.
I thought that was just/. as a whole... but maybe I'm wrong, seeing as the Wii promises to use Opera for web browsing, and that will also let us get to/.
Makes me wonder why they didn't just use there HD Mini Discs. They've been using them for years and they run on very low power. A few years ago I found a cheap mini disc player. Much cheaper than an iPod, much more memory (with $5 worth of discs) than any sub-$300 mp3 player at the time. I used the thing for years. It ran off one AA battery for about 60 hours. Even if they doubled or trippled the read speed on that, they would still have around 10hours of power from the equivelant of a standard AA battery, and the Li-ion they stuck in there hold a lot more power than a AA. There's that, and it would be interoperable with an already existing (albeit small) userbase.
Indeed. Also, didn't most of the G5 achatecture processors start around 1.2-1.4Ghz when they started popping them into Macs? It wouldn't make a lot of sense for a proc using the 90nm SOI process to run at such a low speed? Two reasons I can think of that Nintendo would make such a call.
One- Heat: Nintendo wants quiet or silent machines. I think we can all agree that fan noise in the XBoxes are pretty loud. The Game Cube has two fans but is very quite, and produces little heat. Which has been emphasised in TFA by the IBM rep or whomever stating that Broadway runs with 20% less power load. Which means less power needed, which means less heat than the GC.
Two- Price: Nintendo has never sold a console at a loss. Perhaps they just need a processor that is better and just works for cheap. But this doensn't make a lot of sense to me. I don't think Apple allows much for selling individual processors, so I figure a 2.2Ghz P4 at $47 on pricewatch may be equivilant to a 1.4Ghz G5 (if I'm wrong, I'm wrong). But I'm sure that Nintendo can get a lot more bang for their buck givin the probable ease of creation/production of Broadway than a 800Mhz processor. Remember, they haven't released any official specs yet, so nobody realy knows.
I just popped in both Metroids last night. Still amazing looking games. I was playing Dead Rising last weekend on a 32" in 480p for a long time and I still think Metroid prime is beautiful on a crappy 27". I'm moving to a cheaper living situation soon here and I'm pretty excited because I may be able to comfortably fit a hi-def TV into my budget. I'm thinking a 36"+ widescreen with 720p. Some of those DLP's look realy nice right now.
Mostly I want one for Metroid Prime 1&2, and RE4. Currently my brain is drooling a bit.
The Wii can do 480p. It may not require the best in A/V materials to get 480p signal, but some people just like having the best. Or that's all their Hi-Defs will accept, and as I understand it, S-Video isn't all that great even for 480p. Though I may be wrong.
It's dangerous to mess with those distortion fields. Personaly, I think it would be just better wisdom if they included SEP Fields with every PS3 and throw in DVD drives. That way, they wouldn't have a shortage and the consumer would never notice they didn't have Blu-Ray drives. That would clear up most of the hype problems.
Well, I know my brother were very interested before the price tag (I'm a huge Gran Turismo fan). Both of us would have bought it at $400, my brother just because it's a Playstation. But we are appaled. That and the news that gamew will cost 60-90 according to many reports... completely unacceptable.
I still know a few very single guys who have the money saved up for the PS3 already (one guy has about $1000 stashed away so he can buy a few games). But other than that, nobody I've met is interested in a $600 console.
OTOH everyone I know is saving a few extra pennies for the Wii.
Slashdot Mirror
I've been thirsting to play or develop some SNES or better sprite-based games. My brother and I used to dream of making them, but then harsh reality kicked in and we both worked in a warehouse/retail/office grunting stuff for the last 7 years. I went to college for a couple years for computer science, but frankly, I sucked at it.
I'm glad I wasn't alone in the almost vomited catagory. I'm sad that I wasn't strong enough to close out of it. It was so horrible I couldn't look away. Perhaps that grotesque dance is their aggressive marketing strategem...
It's okay, he was just playing Civ IV. We're in a golden age right now, but don't worry about that because it's going to end in 20 years or so. So, if you think building all these cultural advancements is going to help, you've got another thing coming. I just know that everyone thinks they're safe. But you just wait, because Genghis Khan is gonna come rollin' in here a couple turns later with his Keshiks and roll right over our modern armor. I know this, because it ALWAYS happens to me.
Thanks, now I'll have that 'theme song' in my head all day. "ne ne nye nye ne ne nye!"
Did anyone else imagine Wile E Coyote in a lab coat at the ACME factory?
Sure, it makes it harder to do protien-folding calculations and the possibility of curing mad cow disease, but it'll save you a good deal money in the long run. On the other hand, if you feel convicted by not running SETI or F@H, well, then run it. Just my 2 cents.
Though I remember reading the article and I believe it has a great deal of validity... I'm not so sure I'd want my orthopedic sugeon (who is an amazing surgeon) playing Halo 2 deathmatch for 20 minutes before performing. Nor would I want to hear, "I totally pwnd that labram!" when he's finished. But, who knows.
So, even though their home console sold the least, they were the clear winners of the last generation with regards to profit. And I agree with your statement about their lack of 3rd party support.
As far as the zoom feature goes, I'm sure they'll be implementing it so it's more functional than we expect. This is Nintendo, and they don't tend to make anything half-assed. I watched the videos on the site, and it seems to be easy enough to use. Easy enough to be readable. But, like I said, I'll find out when I buy it and play it on my 12 year old TV.
Wii vs 360? You're right, one will deliver amazing graphics and hopefully the other will deliver amazing games. Nobody knows about the latter right now, but we will soon. And here's hoping. I'd like to have both systems, but I haven't found any 360 games that are MUST HAVE's yet. But I'll be looking. (Can you say Jade Empire, KOTOR, Fabel?)
Honestly, I think your best bet would be to go find a P200 with Windos 95 for the retro-gaming. Otherwise, I haven't a clue.
Yeah, I still don't have any idea what was going on in that game. Thankfully, they put arrows at the top of your screen, and the main plot items were always on the top.
But what gets me the most is that after you look at a picture, listen to a song, attempt to make a playlist, or watch a movie, it's very eager to delete your files. Never again will I make that mistake.
He taped over them. Duh...
I never noticed the gaps, but last night I grabed iTunes 7.0. It's pretty nice. Playback is a lot smoother now, but it seems to eat a lot more RAM. Oh, and it didn't download ANY cover art, not sure why, I have quite a few common CD's on my computer (possibly spelling errors and the like). It's not a big deal though, I have a nano and it's getting pretty full (3.2GB of 4GB, the point where you start to hold back, or delete unused content). This really makes me want an 8GB model now. Triple battery life, 8Gigs, and a screen that can burn through your rhaetena in seconds, or light your path for hours. Sweet.
I know during regular use my laptop is 1920x1080 and it says it's refresh is at 70Hz. Not sure if that's relevent, but let me know if that matters for FPS. I know when I'm playing WoW it's around 34FPS, but that's at a lower (1280x800?) resolution. I'm at work, can't really check.
[Computer]
You have contracted Wesley Crusher.
You: Ah crap, evasive action!!!
[Computer]
Wesley has screwed up your ship. Please wait one episode for the problem to rectify itself.
You: Well, needed a bathroom break anyway.
I thought that was just /. as a whole... but maybe I'm wrong, seeing as the Wii promises to use Opera for web browsing, and that will also let us get to /.
Makes me wonder why they didn't just use there HD Mini Discs. They've been using them for years and they run on very low power. A few years ago I found a cheap mini disc player. Much cheaper than an iPod, much more memory (with $5 worth of discs) than any sub-$300 mp3 player at the time. I used the thing for years. It ran off one AA battery for about 60 hours. Even if they doubled or trippled the read speed on that, they would still have around 10hours of power from the equivelant of a standard AA battery, and the Li-ion they stuck in there hold a lot more power than a AA. There's that, and it would be interoperable with an already existing (albeit small) userbase.
One- Heat: Nintendo wants quiet or silent machines. I think we can all agree that fan noise in the XBoxes are pretty loud. The Game Cube has two fans but is very quite, and produces little heat. Which has been emphasised in TFA by the IBM rep or whomever stating that Broadway runs with 20% less power load. Which means less power needed, which means less heat than the GC.
Two- Price: Nintendo has never sold a console at a loss. Perhaps they just need a processor that is better and just works for cheap. But this doensn't make a lot of sense to me. I don't think Apple allows much for selling individual processors, so I figure a 2.2Ghz P4 at $47 on pricewatch may be equivilant to a 1.4Ghz G5 (if I'm wrong, I'm wrong). But I'm sure that Nintendo can get a lot more bang for their buck givin the probable ease of creation/production of Broadway than a 800Mhz processor. Remember, they haven't released any official specs yet, so nobody realy knows.
Mostly I want one for Metroid Prime 1&2, and RE4. Currently my brain is drooling a bit.
The Wii can do 480p. It may not require the best in A/V materials to get 480p signal, but some people just like having the best. Or that's all their Hi-Defs will accept, and as I understand it, S-Video isn't all that great even for 480p. Though I may be wrong.
They're currently thumbing through ACME cataloges for spare rockets and rollerskate. That should speed things up.
It's dangerous to mess with those distortion fields. Personaly, I think it would be just better wisdom if they included SEP Fields with every PS3 and throw in DVD drives. That way, they wouldn't have a shortage and the consumer would never notice they didn't have Blu-Ray drives. That would clear up most of the hype problems.
I still know a few very single guys who have the money saved up for the PS3 already (one guy has about $1000 stashed away so he can buy a few games). But other than that, nobody I've met is interested in a $600 console.
OTOH everyone I know is saving a few extra pennies for the Wii.