I think it's pretty easy to understand Apple's pricing: Apple's products are competitively priced to comparable products, but Apple has no low-end products (I guess because the margin on these products is too low for Apple to justify developing them). So if you want a low-end product, Macs are not for you.
Hence, if you want to run OS X on a low-end computer, you can't (legally). Apple thinks that selling OS X for generic computers would make them less money than selling hardware to those who want OS X. No clue whether they are right, but so far, it seems to be working out quite well:-)
The idea is to get everyone to pay as much as he is possibly willing to pay. That can't be done in reality, so the next best thing is to try and get as many people to buy the app, and price it in a way that that each single person can afford, but not so low that they are willing to pay significantly more. Microsoft does this via a gazillion different versions. Apple only has two versions (plain and server), and edu prices.
Why should Apple sell OS X for 50 bucks to me if I'm willing to pay 100? It's only a disk, anyway. It probably cost about a buck to manufacture.
Actually... Apple used to give OS updated away for free, up to System 8, I think.
I'm not sure he's violating the license agreement. The family license actually applies to "households." From Apple's site:
"Mac OS X Tiger is available with a family-friendly license that allows upgrades for up to five Macs in a single household -- at a price much lower than buying five separate licenses."
It looks like it's going to be yet another FPS. But I'd agree: A HD 2D (or 2.5D) version would rock my socks off. If that isn't fancy enough for a PS3 or 360 title, make it online. Or make it for the Wii (hm, bionic arm + Wii Remote = coolness???).
Not only kids. Even people who have not had contact with programming more than a few lessons in school can have a lot of fun with LOGO. It's an easy way to teach people basic programming concepts in a way that is fun and engaging to them.
Yeah, the Goombas are actually sentient beings who can choose to be nice if they want to, see the Paper Mario series. I find it disgusting that we are forced to kill them! I will boycot Mario games from now on.
It's all opinions, but it should be pointed out that SOTN is (if I remember correctly) not a re-hash of the Castlevania series. I think it was the first "Metroidvania" and as such about a hundred times better than (and very different from) all previous Castlevanias.
Mario Sunshine is clearly among the top 5% of all games ever made. However, it's among the bottom 5% of all "proper" Mario games ever made. Not because it's bad, but simply because Mario games are generally astoundingly good.
Super Mario Bros. or Ocarina of Time aren't still talked about because they were technical masterpieces (although they were, I guess), but because they are some of the best games of all time. Halo 3 isn't.
Yes, the hardware of the Cube (except the optical drive) was more or less twice as powerful as the PS2. The problem is that it came out at the same time as the Xbox, and it was a complete wimp when compared to that system.
It also cost quite a bit less and was about a fourth the size. Not to mention that, looking at the actual games, the Cube's prettiest games (Metroid Prime 2, Resident Evil 4) were easily able to compete with the Xbox's prettiest games.
The Gamecube didn't even have a network card, how were you supposed to put it online? Magic beans?
I suggest that the next time you try to be ironic, you check your facts first:-)
The Cube had both a broadband adapter (basically an Ethernet port) and a modem adapter. There were few online games, but actually a bunch of games which used he broadaband adapter for LAN games, among them Mario Kart (which allowed for 8-player games using two Cubes) and F-Zero GX. Additionally, there exists PC tunneling software which uses the LAN features of these games for real online gaming.
I'm assuming you don't actually own a Cube? I would guess you'd know that, had you owned one.
Sure, maybe some super-obscure Japanese-only import that cost a geeky Nintendo nerd somewhere $600 just happened to work with one game in the US because Nintendo never bothered to screen by nationality, but that's hardly the same as "it did online just fine."
Again, you're wrong. For example, Fantasy Star Online was a real, actual Gamecube game that was sold world-wide.
Because the wacky disk they used instead of DVDs could only hold 1.5 GB, so cross-platform ports had to be trimmed down for Gamecube? Okay, which games are you talking about? I've seen it in developer interviews/post mortems before, but now I can't find any references, so I guess I withdraw that point unless someone else wants to dig up a list. (For the record, it wasn't "trimmed down" meaning less content, but things like reducing the texture size or the video quality.)
A bunch of games came on more than one disc (some Resident Evil remakes, I think), but I've never heard that devs had to reduce texture quality for Cube ports.
Yeah, unlike the PS2, or the Xbox, or the 360, or the PS3, or any other damn console in the history of consoles. I do not own a single console which fits into my entertainment center (by which I assume you mean it I can stack it). Actually, the Cube has the advantage of being small, so it's easy to place it, but the Xbox? Or the original PS2? Not so damn much. You have a very strange entertainment center. My Xbox was the exact same size as my Dish Network decoder box, and not as tall as my surround receiver. It fit perfectly on a shelf. If a Xbox 360 doesn't fit in your entertainment center, how do you get your cable box in it? Or surround receiver? Seriously, the Xbox 360 is half the size of either of those.
I don't have a cable box, and all the other parts (VHS recorder, DVD player, stereo) are stackable. None of the consoles are stackable. Currently, I have the PS3 on top of everything and the Wii next to it. There's simply no room for the Xbox (which, again, I can't stack on top of the PS3, and I can't stack the PS3 on top of the Xbox) or the PS2. None of the consoles are stackable, but at least the Cube and the Wii aren't as freaking big as the Xbox, PS3, or the original PS2.
You left out a bunch of games. Apart from Viva Piñata, all Rare games on Xbox consoles have been crap. Unfortunately. They once were one of the greatest devs. It seems like they are slowly getting back in shape, but really...
There are a few online games, try Mario Football. Personally, I don't want to give up local four-player multiplayer for online gaming, like many PS3 games are doing (Motorstorm, I'm looking at you). I prefer local multiplayer.
You're obviously flamebaiting (either that, or insane), but still...
Because it had about 4 good games the entire lifetime of the system?
Metroid Prime, Resident Evil 4 (two of the highest rated games ever), Twilight Princess, Wind Waker, Soul Calibur II, Viewtiful Joe, Prime 2, Super Mario Sunshine, Eternal Darkness, Super Smash Bros Melee, Rogue Leader, TimeSplitters 2, F-Zero GX, Pikmin, Super Monkey Ball, Beyond Good & Evil, Paper Mario,...
Because it came out at the same time as the Xbox, but was barely more powerful than the (relatively ancient) PS2?
See, this is where you move from "okay, he has different tastes from mine" to "bat-shit insane." The PS2 has nothing that can compete with stuff like Resident Evil 4. I mean, PS2 is plainly situated in jaggie-land. There's really no comparison between the PS2 and the Cube.
Because it was the only console on the market that had no online play and couldn't play DVDs?
Well, it obviously couldn't play DVDs, but it did online just fine. Unfortunately, hardly any games made use of it.
Because the wacky disk they used instead of DVDs could only hold 1.5 GB, so cross-platform ports had to be trimmed down for Gamecube?
Okay, which games are you talking about?
Because it's weird top-loading disk system meant it didn't fit in a lot of people's entertainment centers?
Yeah, unlike the PS2, or the Xbox, or the 360, or the PS3, or any other damn console in the history of consoles. I do not own a single console which fits into my entertainment center (by which I assume you mean it I can stack it). Actually, the Cube has the advantage of being small, so it's easy to place it, but the Xbox? Or the original PS2? Not so damn much.
I have an HD beamer. Motorstorm looks excellent, but guess what, the Wii games with the component cable look okay, too. The difference is obvious, but hardly something that could keep me from enjoying Wii games.
It wasn't so much the PS2 power and on-line that did it in, but Sega's reputation.
Well, it was a number of factors. Reputation, history, Sony's hype, piracy... But yeah, reputation was important. Another console that was killed by rep was Atari's Jaguar. Back then, every magazine wrote basically "We think the Jag is the best current-gen console, but buy the 3DO instead because the Jaguar will tank, like all Atari consoles after the 2600."
N64 - killed by the Playstation. Not necessarily better graphics - but it was an easier platform for folks to develop on and perhaps as a result had a much better game library.
The N64 obviously had vastly superior graphics to the PS1, and I think it was rather easy to program for.
Dreamcast - Killed by the Playstation 2 which had much better graphics and connectivity.
Graphics is debatable (I disagree), but better connectivity??? Wha???
All I want out of a game is a decent experience, be it singleplayer or multiplayer, that I can sit down with and play for more than 10 hours in total (...) without getting bored or overly frustrated. (...)
Right now, the Wii spectacularly fails to deliver on this score. I think I've already named the only three games that qualify; Zelda, Metroid Prime 3 and Resident Evil 4.
Super Paper Mario, Trauma Center, Mario Strikers, Excite Truck, Elebits... If you haven't already, check out some of the VC games, like A Link to the Past or Super Metroid. Yeah, the Wii doesn't have the best games selection on earth, but it's not that bad, either.
It's happening. Look at the Japanese software charts, not just the hardware charts. Not a single Wii game in the top ten last week, this on supposedly the most popular console in Japan.
Also no new releases. Look at the total sales numbers. The Wii's attach rate beats the PS3 easily. The theory that people only play Wii Sports simply does not match the numbers.
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I think it's pretty easy to understand Apple's pricing: Apple's products are competitively priced to comparable products, but Apple has no low-end products (I guess because the margin on these products is too low for Apple to justify developing them). So if you want a low-end product, Macs are not for you.
:-)
Hence, if you want to run OS X on a low-end computer, you can't (legally). Apple thinks that selling OS X for generic computers would make them less money than selling hardware to those who want OS X. No clue whether they are right, but so far, it seems to be working out quite well
The idea is to get everyone to pay as much as he is possibly willing to pay. That can't be done in reality, so the next best thing is to try and get as many people to buy the app, and price it in a way that that each single person can afford, but not so low that they are willing to pay significantly more. Microsoft does this via a gazillion different versions. Apple only has two versions (plain and server), and edu prices.
Why should Apple sell OS X for 50 bucks to me if I'm willing to pay 100? It's only a disk, anyway. It probably cost about a buck to manufacture.
Actually... Apple used to give OS updated away for free, up to System 8, I think.
>do you get 4 discs or sumthing with the family pack?
no, what he gets is four legal licenses.
I'm not sure he's violating the license agreement. The family license actually applies to "households." From Apple's site:
"Mac OS X Tiger is available with a family-friendly license that allows upgrades for up to five Macs in a single household -- at a price much lower than buying five separate licenses."
My former school had a deal with Apple where we could basically get OS X Server (as well as a bunch of other Apple software) for 20 bucks.
System Preferences -> Network -> Airport -> click on the network and on "-"
It looks like it's going to be yet another FPS. But I'd agree: A HD 2D (or 2.5D) version would rock my socks off. If that isn't fancy enough for a PS3 or 360 title, make it online. Or make it for the Wii (hm, bionic arm + Wii Remote = coolness???).
Not only kids. Even people who have not had contact with programming more than a few lessons in school can have a lot of fun with LOGO. It's an easy way to teach people basic programming concepts in a way that is fun and engaging to them.
Yeah, the Goombas are actually sentient beings who can choose to be nice if they want to, see the Paper Mario series. I find it disgusting that we are forced to kill them! I will boycot Mario games from now on.
Against Goomba Violence!!! Who's with me?
It's all opinions, but it should be pointed out that SOTN is (if I remember correctly) not a re-hash of the Castlevania series. I think it was the first "Metroidvania" and as such about a hundred times better than (and very different from) all previous Castlevanias.
Mario Sunshine is clearly among the top 5% of all games ever made. However, it's among the bottom 5% of all "proper" Mario games ever made. Not because it's bad, but simply because Mario games are generally astoundingly good.
Super Mario Bros. or Ocarina of Time aren't still talked about because they were technical masterpieces (although they were, I guess), but because they are some of the best games of all time. Halo 3 isn't.
It also cost quite a bit less and was about a fourth the size. Not to mention that, looking at the actual games, the Cube's prettiest games (Metroid Prime 2, Resident Evil 4) were easily able to compete with the Xbox's prettiest games.
The Gamecube didn't even have a network card, how were you supposed to put it online? Magic beans?I suggest that the next time you try to be ironic, you check your facts first :-)
The Cube had both a broadband adapter (basically an Ethernet port) and a modem adapter. There were few online games, but actually a bunch of games which used he broadaband adapter for LAN games, among them Mario Kart (which allowed for 8-player games using two Cubes) and F-Zero GX. Additionally, there exists PC tunneling software which uses the LAN features of these games for real online gaming.
I'm assuming you don't actually own a Cube? I would guess you'd know that, had you owned one.
Sure, maybe some super-obscure Japanese-only import that cost a geeky Nintendo nerd somewhere $600 just happened to work with one game in the US because Nintendo never bothered to screen by nationality, but that's hardly the same as "it did online just fine."Again, you're wrong. For example, Fantasy Star Online was a real, actual Gamecube game that was sold world-wide.
Because the wacky disk they used instead of DVDs could only hold 1.5 GB, so cross-platform ports had to be trimmed down for Gamecube? Okay, which games are you talking about? I've seen it in developer interviews/post mortems before, but now I can't find any references, so I guess I withdraw that point unless someone else wants to dig up a list. (For the record, it wasn't "trimmed down" meaning less content, but things like reducing the texture size or the video quality.)A bunch of games came on more than one disc (some Resident Evil remakes, I think), but I've never heard that devs had to reduce texture quality for Cube ports.
Yeah, unlike the PS2, or the Xbox, or the 360, or the PS3, or any other damn console in the history of consoles. I do not own a single console which fits into my entertainment center (by which I assume you mean it I can stack it). Actually, the Cube has the advantage of being small, so it's easy to place it, but the Xbox? Or the original PS2? Not so damn much. You have a very strange entertainment center. My Xbox was the exact same size as my Dish Network decoder box, and not as tall as my surround receiver. It fit perfectly on a shelf. If a Xbox 360 doesn't fit in your entertainment center, how do you get your cable box in it? Or surround receiver? Seriously, the Xbox 360 is half the size of either of those.I don't have a cable box, and all the other parts (VHS recorder, DVD player, stereo) are stackable. None of the consoles are stackable. Currently, I have the PS3 on top of everything and the Wii next to it. There's simply no room for the Xbox (which, again, I can't stack on top of the PS3, and I can't stack the PS3 on top of the Xbox) or the PS2. None of the consoles are stackable, but at least the Cube and the Wii aren't as freaking big as the Xbox, PS3, or the original PS2.
You left out a bunch of games. Apart from Viva Piñata, all Rare games on Xbox consoles have been crap. Unfortunately. They once were one of the greatest devs. It seems like they are slowly getting back in shape, but really...
If you do, reset the game without saving to get a surprise :-)
I think he told you what "exactly" was racist. Just not what *exactly* it was :-)
Also, the dust on my black PS3 is much more obvious than the dust on my white Wii. So there!
There are a few online games, try Mario Football. Personally, I don't want to give up local four-player multiplayer for online gaming, like many PS3 games are doing (Motorstorm, I'm looking at you). I prefer local multiplayer.
Metroid Prime, Resident Evil 4 (two of the highest rated games ever), Twilight Princess, Wind Waker, Soul Calibur II, Viewtiful Joe, Prime 2, Super Mario Sunshine, Eternal Darkness, Super Smash Bros Melee, Rogue Leader, TimeSplitters 2, F-Zero GX, Pikmin, Super Monkey Ball, Beyond Good & Evil, Paper Mario, ...
See, this is where you move from "okay, he has different tastes from mine" to "bat-shit insane." The PS2 has nothing that can compete with stuff like Resident Evil 4. I mean, PS2 is plainly situated in jaggie-land. There's really no comparison between the PS2 and the Cube.
Well, it obviously couldn't play DVDs, but it did online just fine. Unfortunately, hardly any games made use of it.
Okay, which games are you talking about?
Yeah, unlike the PS2, or the Xbox, or the 360, or the PS3, or any other damn console in the history of consoles. I do not own a single console which fits into my entertainment center (by which I assume you mean it I can stack it). Actually, the Cube has the advantage of being small, so it's easy to place it, but the Xbox? Or the original PS2? Not so damn much.
I have an HD beamer. Motorstorm looks excellent, but guess what, the Wii games with the component cable look okay, too. The difference is obvious, but hardly something that could keep me from enjoying Wii games.
Well, it was a number of factors. Reputation, history, Sony's hype, piracy... But yeah, reputation was important. Another console that was killed by rep was Atari's Jaguar. Back then, every magazine wrote basically "We think the Jag is the best current-gen console, but buy the 3DO instead because the Jaguar will tank, like all Atari consoles after the 2600."
Of course, the 3DO didn't do better, either :-)
The N64 obviously had vastly superior graphics to the PS1, and I think it was rather easy to program for.
Graphics is debatable (I disagree), but better connectivity??? Wha???
So yeah, the Wii does have unique capabilities after all.
Super Paper Mario, Trauma Center, Mario Strikers, Excite Truck, Elebits... If you haven't already, check out some of the VC games, like A Link to the Past or Super Metroid. Yeah, the Wii doesn't have the best games selection on earth, but it's not that bad, either.
Also no new releases. Look at the total sales numbers. The Wii's attach rate beats the PS3 easily. The theory that people only play Wii Sports simply does not match the numbers.