Sony doesn't have all that many PSP's out there right now. It would make sense to offer a fix at a price to keep the installed user base intact.
This 'leaked update' is interesting though. That is a hell of a lot of add on features. This will add a lot of value to the product if those features are useful.
I wonder if anyone else sees a paralell between the Xbox and the Dreamcast. A small amount of really good games, great hackability, never quite lived up to their potential...?
This is especially true of the sports fan market. This is why Nike and Gatorade deals are big bucks. In sports, image is an extremely close second to athletic ability.
For an example, SportsCenter is heralded *every night* by sports fans like it is the second coming of Christ. I don't care how much in-depth coverage another network could do, it won't be SportsCenter, and fans are, by definition, loyal.
I never realized what EA has become until these last few 'deals'. This is amazing and I can't see how this will end will for the consumer.
"I plan to return anything worthwhile I come up with back to the project, if it's possible."
Can you give me a script that can burn a show to DVD flawlessly? Better yet, one that I can use with a remote?
I *love* my mythbox in it's cute little shuttle case, but burning dvds has been a major hassle. I can *never* seem to get it right. I guy named jams had a program called nuv2disc that worked ok for me awhile, but then I upgraded to his latest and things stopped working.
I have no idea what I'm doing wrong, as the pvr350 I have outputs MPEG2 anyway, but for some reason I cannot seem to burn shows reliably. Mod me offtopic certainly, but if you do, send me a link to a really good linux dvd burning how to that is in english. Thanks.
This and the child post about LEDs that turn ON when the devices is OFF are both pet peeves of mine also. The blue LED is spectacular, too much so for normal use. It's like putting a a casino billboard on your house, cool for a nanosecond, exponentially annoying each nanosecond thereafter.
I still remember the first time I encountered a DVD player that has the light ON, when the device is off, and off when it's on. I damn near blew a fuse.
In short, this is obviously a move by the makers of black electrical tape to boost sales. Hell, if 3M made little LightOffStrips (TM) (circular pieces of black tape) I would buy an endless supply.
I didn't know.17 came out yet, to tell the truth. I love my Mythbox (it's my favorite box to tinker with) but documentation is still a bit on the shy side. Mythtv.info is Ok, but the main site is pretty drag.
Having to read through a commits archive to see what's coming and when is still rough.
Somebody with an insight into the court system needs to mod you up my friend. Say there is some criminal who does something incriminating on the internet. We'll say he posts his intent to steal from some major company on a website, for example.
Can it then be proven that it was his computer in this case? There is no 'physical' link to the person in question. Sure you could look up his MAC address, but in such a lax security system I think it could easily argued that the address could be spoofed from any one of a dozen people. Not to mention the fact that no prosecutor would dare attempt to try a case so complex. You would have to find a jury of CS majors or/.ers just to get a warrant for the dwelling.
Interesting stuff. Possibly a future Law & Order episode. Or perhaps some Jerry Bruckheimer 5 minute CG of wireless data blinking a pulsing signal through the air on CSI.
Did you see those 'Awards' on SpikeTv? Obviously not everyone believes gamers are normal people, as that show was obviously targeted to a different demographic then this study indicates.
Penny Arcade commented on this a while ago. The situation remains unchanged.
I watched most of the CES video, and focused on the 'special' parts. As for Forza, it didn't crash, but Bill and Conan O'Brian were playing it, and they showed the two split screen. At the end of their little gig, Conan's game was running at 2fps. Neither seem to say anything.
The bigger problem was earlier, when his Media Center demonstration just stopped responding.
But no blue screens. I think they caught on that people got sensitive to that.:)
Well the XBox is a PC, so there's not a whole lot 'underutilized'. This is when comparing to the Cube or PS2, which use custom processors that programmers get to try new tricks on. So basically we're looking at the graphics card, which may have some tricks yet, but not too many.
However, the XBox is still dominant in the hardware department. You are right, I see no need for an upgrade. Unless of course, it's because of Sony and Nintendo launching they're new systems, then it's a must.
God forbid someone just get back to making games. Anyone. I mean really. Please. Galaga '05 anyone?
I was looking into this yesterday. According to a lot of the xbox-linux sites you are correct in this assumption. However, I haven't found any cables to achieve this yet. It's difficult because "XBox to USB Converter" gets a zillion hits for using XBox controllers on your PC. I couldn't find one in fifteen minutes and gave up, but I bet they're out there.
Meanwhile, why are these XBox saves so big? I mean 8mb for a Halo 2 profile? It's almost as if they don't want you copying it, which would be silly.
"...is there anyone running Gentoo with anything other that the very latest apps?!"
Yep. I have two Gentoo machines and although I frequently sync with portage, I view the changelogs and only update when a bugfix or feature enhancement sounds reasonable. Especially since the second Gentoo machine runs my MythTv, something I am very careful about hastily installing new software on.
Someone mod this informative. I always thought the XBox had the best of both worlds this way. I was wrong. A lot of save games *cannot* be taken off the hard drive as the memory cards are too small for massive save size.
I've asked this question many times and never gotten an answer. What *good* does the hard drive do for gaming? Like what XBox game would have been impossible (or extremely difficult) to do on another console?
Downloadable content is a nifty trick for a console, but I don't see it justifying the HDD at this point. The lifespan of a console game is just not long enough. People keep PC games forever. This is probably due to almost zero resale value. Most people who game on consoles play the newest titles, finish them, beat it on 'difficult' then sell them and repeat.
In addition, I really don't want to encourage developers to have a 'safety net' for console games. There are far too many PC games which are not playable until version 1.9 or something ridiculous because they were rushed to market. When I pop in a console game, I want it designed well enough to work without having to be patched.
I agree with you entirely. I eagerly set my Mythbox to record that with high hopes. I started watching the first ten minutes. I really couldn't speak. That 'awards' show single handedly set back society's image of gamers 15 years in ten minutes.
Thank god for 'delete'. I just wish society had such a button.
Yeah, I could actually see the video but its at like.3 fps. I skipped to the good parts (about 26mins for the first incident (I can only hear them talking, video stalls a lot) and I think someone said 75 for the second. I wanted to see just how big a deal this actually was.
Spot on nicksthings. I love my cube, but the gamecubes only real problem is the lack of 3rd party support.
It's the double edged sword of Nintendo's reputation. They have developed a rep for making excellent games that are great for the whole family. Yes, there are some which are not-so-family friendly, but that's their rep.
Devs seem to think that cube owners are all children, so few mature games.
Dunno about the bear being a fake. I watched them both side by side, and they look similar, but why fake just one of at least four videos? With a bear no less. The one with the DS you actually hear the disc hit the DS. Could still be a fake, but I doubt it.
However, I think that this is a pretty major flaw for an "expensive piece of electronics." If the videos are true, it doesn't take a whole lot of 'twist' for this to happen. No, it's not making spinning discs of decapitory death. However, it is making $300 worth of hardware fly out of my machine. If this were your PS2 spitting discs out would it not be a major flaw? The damaging part to Sony is that this is supposed to be a device that's handled and moved about, unlike your PS2.
As to "Flawed window breaks when hit with brick." Well, I certainly wouldn't buy that window (it being flawed to begin with and all), and that's the point here. Sony is a brand new contender to this market, and has something to prove. They've proven that their product has some fantastic games, but also has some fairly serious flaws.
All excellent points. I have a DS, and will probably buy a PSP if they launch at a reasonable price. However, you should really see the DS in action. The graphics look incredibly nice. Spiderman, for example, is a essentially a 2D game which is rendered in 3D at 60fps, which looks great, and is a ball to play. It's even *difficult*. Something that's hard to get used to in todays game design. Usually, games that are too hard don't sell well.
Anyway, I'm trying to remember my Voodoo2, and I'm pretty sure the graphics are similar. Looking at Mario 64, it looks a lot better than the N64 version (probably due to a great screen and a lot better mip-mapping). What was I playing on my V2? NHL 99? Yeah, it beats that, which was a benchmark of the time. Unreal? It's not quite there, if you compare it to Metroid DS. It's close though.
Thanks for taking the time to educate me. I just bought a new box today for use as a desktop. I'll fire up KDE and give it a shot. Sounds like it's worth a try. As for searching the net, I just can't seem to find the right terminology to find any useful software for this. Maybe "poster printing" will yield some better results.
I've been looking for some kind of OSS that let's me take a picture and print it on multiple pieces of paper. Many digital cameras can take absolutely huge pictures these days, and I'd like to be able to make my own panorama style prints. I've been looking for months for such an animal but no luck.
Yeah, and of course we all criticize MS for releasing buggy software. The counter-argument always that of course MS can't fix every single bug. Supporting that, people point to vulnerabilities in apache, mysql, etc.
The problem with the latter is that most Linux-based software is open-source, nonfunded. Whereas Microsoft is the largest business this side of Alpha Centauri.
I'd like to say pshaw, no big deal, but the amount and severity of MS bugs/exploits is deplorable considering that Windows is the flagship product of one the largest corporations in the world. Stop entering new markets and release a stable, secure product in the next millenium please.
Flame on.
P.S. I'm going to establish a charity for those who believe using a dollar sign in Microsofts name does anything other than diminish one's argument.
Slashdot Mirror
Sony doesn't have all that many PSP's out there right now. It would make sense to offer a fix at a price to keep the installed user base intact.
This 'leaked update' is interesting though. That is a hell of a lot of add on features. This will add a lot of value to the product if those features are useful.
I wonder if anyone else sees a paralell between the Xbox and the Dreamcast. A small amount of really good games, great hackability, never quite lived up to their potential...?
"...marketing has such a pull on the public..."
This is especially true of the sports fan market. This is why Nike and Gatorade deals are big bucks. In sports, image is an extremely close second to athletic ability.
For an example, SportsCenter is heralded *every night* by sports fans like it is the second coming of Christ. I don't care how much in-depth coverage another network could do, it won't be SportsCenter, and fans are, by definition, loyal.
I never realized what EA has become until these last few 'deals'. This is amazing and I can't see how this will end will for the consumer.
"I plan to return anything worthwhile I come up with back to the project, if it's possible."
Can you give me a script that can burn a show to DVD flawlessly? Better yet, one that I can use with a remote?
I *love* my mythbox in it's cute little shuttle case, but burning dvds has been a major hassle. I can *never* seem to get it right. I guy named jams had a program called nuv2disc that worked ok for me awhile, but then I upgraded to his latest and things stopped working.
I have no idea what I'm doing wrong, as the pvr350 I have outputs MPEG2 anyway, but for some reason I cannot seem to burn shows reliably. Mod me offtopic certainly, but if you do, send me a link to a really good linux dvd burning how to that is in english. Thanks.
"Cheezit! We're boned! - famous 31st Century bending unit"
Flexo?
This and the child post about LEDs that turn ON when the devices is OFF are both pet peeves of mine also. The blue LED is spectacular, too much so for normal use. It's like putting a a casino billboard on your house, cool for a nanosecond, exponentially annoying each nanosecond thereafter.
I still remember the first time I encountered a DVD player that has the light ON, when the device is off, and off when it's on. I damn near blew a fuse.
In short, this is obviously a move by the makers of black electrical tape to boost sales. Hell, if 3M made little LightOffStrips (TM) (circular pieces of black tape) I would buy an endless supply.
I didn't know .17 came out yet, to tell the truth. I love my Mythbox (it's my favorite box to tinker with) but documentation is still a bit on the shy side. Mythtv.info is Ok, but the main site is pretty drag.
Having to read through a commits archive to see what's coming and when is still rough.
Somebody with an insight into the court system needs to mod you up my friend. Say there is some criminal who does something incriminating on the internet. We'll say he posts his intent to steal from some major company on a website, for example.
/.ers just to get a warrant for the dwelling.
Can it then be proven that it was his computer in this case? There is no 'physical' link to the person in question. Sure you could look up his MAC address, but in such a lax security system I think it could easily argued that the address could be spoofed from any one of a dozen people. Not to mention the fact that no prosecutor would dare attempt to try a case so complex. You would have to find a jury of CS majors or
Interesting stuff. Possibly a future Law & Order episode. Or perhaps some Jerry Bruckheimer 5 minute CG of wireless data blinking a pulsing signal through the air on CSI.
Did you see those 'Awards' on SpikeTv? Obviously not everyone believes gamers are normal people, as that show was obviously targeted to a different demographic then this study indicates.
Penny Arcade commented on this a while ago. The situation remains unchanged.
I watched most of the CES video, and focused on the 'special' parts. As for Forza, it didn't crash, but Bill and Conan O'Brian were playing it, and they showed the two split screen. At the end of their little gig, Conan's game was running at 2fps. Neither seem to say anything.
:)
The bigger problem was earlier, when his Media Center demonstration just stopped responding.
But no blue screens. I think they caught on that people got sensitive to that.
Well the XBox is a PC, so there's not a whole lot 'underutilized'. This is when comparing to the Cube or PS2, which use custom processors that programmers get to try new tricks on. So basically we're looking at the graphics card, which may have some tricks yet, but not too many.
However, the XBox is still dominant in the hardware department. You are right, I see no need for an upgrade. Unless of course, it's because of Sony and Nintendo launching they're new systems, then it's a must.
God forbid someone just get back to making games. Anyone. I mean really. Please. Galaga '05 anyone?
I was looking into this yesterday. According to a lot of the xbox-linux sites you are correct in this assumption. However, I haven't found any cables to achieve this yet. It's difficult because "XBox to USB Converter" gets a zillion hits for using XBox controllers on your PC. I couldn't find one in fifteen minutes and gave up, but I bet they're out there.
Meanwhile, why are these XBox saves so big? I mean 8mb for a Halo 2 profile? It's almost as if they don't want you copying it, which would be silly.
"...is there anyone running Gentoo with anything other that the very latest apps?!"
Yep. I have two Gentoo machines and although I frequently sync with portage, I view the changelogs and only update when a bugfix or feature enhancement sounds reasonable. Especially since the second Gentoo machine runs my MythTv, something I am very careful about hastily installing new software on.
Someone mod this informative. I always thought the XBox had the best of both worlds this way. I was wrong. A lot of save games *cannot* be taken off the hard drive as the memory cards are too small for massive save size.
I've asked this question many times and never gotten an answer. What *good* does the hard drive do for gaming? Like what XBox game would have been impossible (or extremely difficult) to do on another console?
Downloadable content is a nifty trick for a console, but I don't see it justifying the HDD at this point. The lifespan of a console game is just not long enough. People keep PC games forever. This is probably due to almost zero resale value. Most people who game on consoles play the newest titles, finish them, beat it on 'difficult' then sell them and repeat.
In addition, I really don't want to encourage developers to have a 'safety net' for console games. There are far too many PC games which are not playable until version 1.9 or something ridiculous because they were rushed to market. When I pop in a console game, I want it designed well enough to work without having to be patched.
Ok, I guess that was a rant. Sorry.
I agree with you entirely. I eagerly set my Mythbox to record that with high hopes. I started watching the first ten minutes. I really couldn't speak. That 'awards' show single handedly set back society's image of gamers 15 years in ten minutes.
Thank god for 'delete'. I just wish society had such a button.
Yeah, I could actually see the video but its at like .3 fps. I skipped to the good parts (about 26mins for the first incident (I can only hear them talking, video stalls a lot) and I think someone said 75 for the second. I wanted to see just how big a deal this actually was.
Spot on nicksthings. I love my cube, but the gamecubes only real problem is the lack of 3rd party support.
It's the double edged sword of Nintendo's reputation. They have developed a rep for making excellent games that are great for the whole family. Yes, there are some which are not-so-family friendly, but that's their rep.
Devs seem to think that cube owners are all children, so few mature games.
Dunno about the bear being a fake. I watched them both side by side, and they look similar, but why fake just one of at least four videos? With a bear no less. The one with the DS you actually hear the disc hit the DS. Could still be a fake, but I doubt it.
However, I think that this is a pretty major flaw for an "expensive piece of electronics." If the videos are true, it doesn't take a whole lot of 'twist' for this to happen. No, it's not making spinning discs of decapitory death. However, it is making $300 worth of hardware fly out of my machine. If this were your PS2 spitting discs out would it not be a major flaw? The damaging part to Sony is that this is supposed to be a device that's handled and moved about, unlike your PS2.
As to "Flawed window breaks when hit with brick." Well, I certainly wouldn't buy that window (it being flawed to begin with and all), and that's the point here. Sony is a brand new contender to this market, and has something to prove. They've proven that their product has some fantastic games, but also has some fairly serious flaws.
Anything else is just flames and fanboyism.
All excellent points. I have a DS, and will probably buy a PSP if they launch at a reasonable price. However, you should really see the DS in action. The graphics look incredibly nice. Spiderman, for example, is a essentially a 2D game which is rendered in 3D at 60fps, which looks great, and is a ball to play. It's even *difficult*. Something that's hard to get used to in todays game design. Usually, games that are too hard don't sell well.
Anyway, I'm trying to remember my Voodoo2, and I'm pretty sure the graphics are similar. Looking at Mario 64, it looks a lot better than the N64 version (probably due to a great screen and a lot better mip-mapping). What was I playing on my V2? NHL 99? Yeah, it beats that, which was a benchmark of the time. Unreal? It's not quite there, if you compare it to Metroid DS. It's close though.
Just one users opinion.
Thanks for taking the time to educate me. I just bought a new box today for use as a desktop. I'll fire up KDE and give it a shot. Sounds like it's worth a try. As for searching the net, I just can't seem to find the right terminology to find any useful software for this. Maybe "poster printing" will yield some better results.
I've been looking for some kind of OSS that let's me take a picture and print it on multiple pieces of paper. Many digital cameras can take absolutely huge pictures these days, and I'd like to be able to make my own panorama style prints. I've been looking for months for such an animal but no luck.
Anyone here have suggestions?
Yeah, and of course we all criticize MS for releasing buggy software. The counter-argument always that of course MS can't fix every single bug. Supporting that, people point to vulnerabilities in apache, mysql, etc.
The problem with the latter is that most Linux-based software is open-source, nonfunded. Whereas Microsoft is the largest business this side of Alpha Centauri.
I'd like to say pshaw, no big deal, but the amount and severity of MS bugs/exploits is deplorable considering that Windows is the flagship product of one the largest corporations in the world. Stop entering new markets and release a stable, secure product in the next millenium please.
Flame on.
P.S. I'm going to establish a charity for those who believe using a dollar sign in Microsofts name does anything other than diminish one's argument.
Why is Joe Sixpack responsible for installing his own hardware? I can't think of an IT department that would incourage this.
On that note, why does he need an MP3 player? Get back to work Joe, or I'm sending out your pink slip.
Slacker.
Nicely put.
I'll have to check that book out. I completely forgot about the whole "comic books cause aberrant behavior" issue from a while back.
Yea, I run into this problem every day. Very, very frustrating. It's almost impossible not to *try* to convince people to have better thinking skills.
Such is the world we live in.