Re:Why is the GBA the center of portable gaming?
on
GPS for GBA
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
Why? A few reasons...
1) Technical and usability superiority over all direct competitors.
Face it - no other portable game system has been able to go toe-to-toe with the game boy and win. The series has good design, a large library, and no 'major' design flaws (the screen on GBA was the closest, and it wasn't bad enough - compared with Game Gear (eat through 6 AA batteries in an hour or so) or Neo Geo Pocket (suprisingly poor screen, hooks up to a dead game system, no games available.)
2) Marketing
Nintendo knows the portable game market. They know what game to push for, which ones will flop, how not to frustrate gamers, where the money is. They have a huge library that they keep expanding - not just getting new games made, but getting them on salesfloors and in people's hands.
3) Price
Those gaming PDAs are really nice, and I'd kill for one. But, unlike a GBA SP, which is $100 (unless you're savvy, in which case it's $80), the Zodiac, etc. are very expensive ($200+) and most parents don't want to spend that much on features that won't be used. And regular PDAs? Pshaw! They don't have the sound hardware for it - it's harder than just playing an MP3.
Notice that while the GBA has huge numbers of potential competitors, none of them can compete. I imagine that if Nintendo were to collaspe, you'd see five different systems in the portable gaming market within a year.
... will you be hated by anthropologists and archeologists. Think about it - after any writing is worn away, someone will dig it up and compare it to the original (which is a National Treasure of Some Sort (TM), so it'll be safe).
At that point, they'll wonder if we're still pagans, or if pagans survived and migrated, or what... After all, they'll be able to date this one to 2005 AD, and the other one is thousands of years old.
Whoops.... is that still there? *shrugs at curse of having old user names still in use...*
The content is mostly available at http://www.hitoma.com. Between college and work, after Hypermart's stunt I was unable to fix the site again yet. This summer... I swear... Heck, I even have a paid web host this time....
That may come eventually, but for now its basically our biggest suppliers and palleted shipments.
A register-level rollout would be far too expensive for right now, between retraining, tagging current merchandise, and new equipment. Backend is easier, because you can test and gradually switch.
Also, remember, that there is only cost savings for a register rollout if EVERY STORE has it and EVERY SUPPLIER tags items. That is a VERY VERY VERY long way off, IMHAIO.
I'm a Wal-mart employee. We are implanting RFIDs on shipping pallets, not merchandise. Foo! Put back the mouth cover on your tinfoil bodysuit, lest others control you by listening to what you say!!!
Now, they forget to mention stage three... sponsored by Microsoft!
Stage three uses the rest of the matchstick probe (RFIDs are really tiny) to upload a custom version of Windows XP to all infected hosts.
Bill Gates, CSA of Microsoft, is quoted as saying, "This will create thousands of pay wireless internet terminals in major metro areas and simultaneously helping thousands of unfortunate souls. I am God."
Yet to be seen, however, is the effect of crashes, such as STOP errors, which has caused heart attacks in beta testers kidnapped in balck vans.
There are too many wasted words. He's concentrating on one per sentence, since he's delivering it as twelve points.... try this.
1) The Internet is powered by,
2) is the carrier for,
3) and is the development platform for open source.
4) Open source is more secure than proprietary software,
5) yet benefits from anti-American sentiments.
6) Incentives around open source include the respect of one's peers.
7) Open source stands on the shoulders of giants.
8) Linux runs on any type of server,
9) or any embedded device.
10)Software isn't always made by software companies anymore.
11)Support is improving.
12)It's free.
Now, this takes it down to 72 words mostly through paraphrasing into compound sentences. I'll bet it could go down to 51 (half of the original) but I don't have time...
Now, anonymous reader, I've fulfilled your challenge. Where is my prize?;)
In all truthfulness, we need articles like this. Marc Andressen was once a name that some non-Techs even recognized. Quotes like these make conversion/assimilation easier.
Nah, this isn't a surprise. It's a powerful "GeeForce 4" yet doesn't add another $200 to the cost of your new computer. "Mah kid wonts one ah those GeeWhizBang 4s. This'll make 'em happy." How do they do it?
Because of NVidia's slick name schema (MX will denote basically the same low-end card, no matter what generation), many people have prolly been duped. (Note to lawyers: There is little possibility to have a class-action suit - the card gives benchmarks right on the box and.... oh, who the hell am I kidding, sue away!)
That said, also consider that this is a VALVE survey. Now, Valve games are popular, but they don't hit other segments, like those who play NASCAR games.
I think that, in reality, these numbers are skewed for HL2's audience, and if we were able to see a real survey you'd see more MX cards, more ATI Rage Pro, and many more (but statistically hard-to-reconsile due to the differing names) integrated graphics.
This comes much too late for Intel and AMD. For the longest time, they had a clockspeed war, and now are in a stalemate.
This would be the perfect reason to boost clockspeed - if this chip is cheap, fast, and has low power consumption, it would be perfect for wireless networks. In fact, if this chip is as commodized as the article tends to imply, then depending on range it could make ad-hoc networks simple and easy.
But since it runs at 24 Ghz, even one stream would be too much for a standard server or one client PC to take advantage of fully. It would have to use some sort of buffering schema, IE, if you have a 2Ghz CPU dedicated on a server, then the card would hold the data until the CPU asks, then releases twelve times the data that the wireless chip put in the buffer at once.
Still, I don't think that they'd start marketing on that point again. Soon as they are fast enough for that killer app, they're in the same boat as before.
IANAL, but I think I see the line being drawn here.
Money can be made off of a parody, such as Spaceballs, because of the intent behind it - to make money directly from reaction to the parody.
Booble isn't doing that. Booble is using the name parody as an advertisement. They're trying to make money by using that as a pull, a gimmick, a trick.
Too bad Google probably has the name trademarked. Google now can use fair litigation to shut them down.
In other words: Google uses dark magics for good purposes, such as self-defense!
Between this and a couple of other companies mentioned in posts, it sounds like a couple of companies have learned something:
Customer service is the difference between low piracy at a reasonable price and high piracy at any price.
You can acquire music anywhere. You can easy use P2P or copy a friend's CD - the latter has good value as a promotional tool.
But when you treat someone as though they are already a criminal - that they need to protect their music from activities that the end user typically considers legal - the value of music at any price drops. No one can argue that iTunes is unsucessful, but they have a tricky balance - enough DRM to protect against illegal use while allowing quite a bit of fair use. Sadly, this will not last forever. A new tool will come out, or record companies will change terms, or something. Enjoy it while it lasts.
I now respect Warp Records. I'm a sucker for customer respect (part of why I'm satisfied with working at Wal-mart while I'm in college - because they too show genuine concern, at least at 2597 (my store)). I don't even think I had heard of them, but now I'll check out their site. Maybe buy a tune or two.
...because I have three younger brothers who just got a new computer and want to play all of 'Shawnee's games. Now, do I want to hand them my original FF VII PC CDs? How about Diablo 2? Or perhaps one of the nice games I bought myself for Christmas? I don't want to play them... I'll just let them leave it on the stand, then on the floor, then in spilled soda, etc...
Maybe, just maybe, this isn't a bad idea in and of itself, and we just need an implementation with disc authentication (ie, disc is encrypted, DRM file on family PC can unlock it).
No, wait... it's just an evil company whose sole purpose is to make the impossible possible: now, every pirate in the world has a tool that can duplicate CDs. Oh, wait, they had CloneCD. And CDRWin/Fireburner. And approximately 1.2 Gazillion other cd burning tools....
1) Slashdot is a forum of geeks who dream of, read and watch about, and want such mecha.
2) Whether you find it agreeable or not, a versatile mecha, if well-built, could be significantly more useful than a tank, some aircraft, or a single-shot missile.
3) My parent reply is not the only one that mentions battle-type mecha.... Which begs an extention of one, a view that 'practical' mecha are barely newsworthy.
Um... I don't allow my younger brothers (10, 9, and 6 yrs old) to watch Eva. I'd say it's PG or R. There's just a little too much blood, violence, nudity, religious themes, suicide, internal conflict, and complex philosophy to allow them.
A medium does not define absolute context for all that is within it. Big O, to stay on topic, has little blood, but a bit of swearing, deep philosophy, some religious overtones, and implied relationships between humans and androids. There have been some complex discussions between other ADULTS and myself about that last one. I argue, in futility, that it is merely due to the fact that Angel aka Agent 340 cannot be a damsel in distress, but I never pull it off.
Hell, I hate to admit it, but even MTV does something right every once in a while.
Re:Finding pilots
on
Your Own Mecha
·
· Score: 0, Offtopic
And they had to be born on the same day, when a cataclysmic event happened. Not to mention the fact that each must have a different psychosis.
Now then....
on
Your Own Mecha
·
· Score: 4, Interesting
There are a few threads saying 'oh, this has been done' and 'it's useless' already.
That's silly. It's a prototype. (Perhaps even a test type or earlier!) It has no weapons. No armor. The electronics are there, but the cockpit in the current form is uncomfortable and small. There is no life support. It's small, bordering on "this is just a new kevlar vest, right?" tiny.
But before millionaires can have Big series and the rest of the world Leos or Zakus, these inefficient designs must come and go. Eventually we'll stumble on a Tallgeese or something.
Besides, they didn't say it was combat-ready. IIRC, the blurb says it was the "HyperRescueRobot." That doesn't sound like something I'd want to pilot into a war.
Not to mention the fact that the cockpit not only lacks armor, but is exposed. What is this, Dorothy-1?
Now, I'm toying with building a Big O cockpit. I just need a few other parts funded and built, and then "It's SHOWTIIIIME!!!!"
(Note: I have been considering a Big O replica cockpit, but slowly changing that plan. Unsuprisingly, Slashdot is the impetus for this gradual change.)
I thought the recording industry said that this business model wouldn't work...
Define what you mean by works. In the RIAA's eyes, what is success? A normal person would say "end piracy", something which this only stems the tide of a bit, and a pessimist/slashdotter might say "Give RIAA and members buckets of money", which again this doesn't.
Actually, commercial viability is also questionable. Is iTunes profitable, in and of itself? Or is it propped up by iPod sales and Apple? Are Napster or Musicmatch doing well from their stores?
Really, I'd like to see statistics comparing song downloads to song purchases since the iTunes for Windows release.
I would never buy one because the game selection is primarily for little kids (Mario, anime, silly Japanese shit, etc.).
I'm sorry to hear that. You see, I just bought a gamecube at the new price point and have already picked up 2 games beside the included Mario Sunshine: Rogue Squadron 2 and Soul Caliber 2. SC2 has LINK on the GC. LINK! And I doubt my younger brothers would be very good at Rogue Leader.
Then there are the games I plan on getting: Super Smash Brothers Melee, which looks kiddish but is actually addictive; Viewtiful Joe, which IMHO is the most original side scroller I've seen in years; Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, which is no kiddie game; Rogue Squadron 3, see above; and a few more.
Yes, there are *many* kiddie games. But I don't think the Metroid Prime, Lost Kingdoms 1 or 2, or P. N. 03 I drool over are even appropriate for kids. And what about Phantasy Star Online and 007?
You need to look at the whole issue; I bought the GC because it was accessible to my younger brothers, had quite a few games I'll enjoy, and is at a good price point.
I wouldn't care if the Gamecube was $5.
If this is the case, you have SERIOUS issues. A $5 gamecube would make a great doorstop or paperweight at the very least, but if it had the hardware in it then there are fun games to be played.
Besides, GC is pretty closed up, but I've heard some latent hackability is coming into play.
While K++ does put a dent in their business model, why do this? It seems like a good idea, but has one fatal flaw:
It legitimizes the suit against them.
Think about it: in both Kazaa and Google, the method of infringement, if it exists, is the same: Allow search results that may or may not be pirated.
By basically validating the complaint against them, they allow RIAA to argue the same point very easily, except in this case it is a blood-thirsty industry group instead of a small computer company.
Oh, well... It doesn't matter, because the next filesharing tool will rise up fast.
No good. It could also check, offhand, process name, filesize, gfx calls, textures, checksums, etc. It's hard to disguise that well, and ultimately should they have to?
Amen. I work at a Walmart. Now, any purchase we should check signature for. At the very least when the terminal says "Check signature" (on $100+, new cards, wathced cards, etc.) we should.
Yet no one does. I've seen this so many times. It's sad.
Slashdot Mirror
Why? A few reasons...
1) Technical and usability superiority over all direct competitors.
Face it - no other portable game system has been able to go toe-to-toe with the game boy and win. The series has good design, a large library, and no 'major' design flaws (the screen on GBA was the closest, and it wasn't bad enough - compared with Game Gear (eat through 6 AA batteries in an hour or so) or Neo Geo Pocket (suprisingly poor screen, hooks up to a dead game system, no games available.)
2) Marketing
Nintendo knows the portable game market. They know what game to push for, which ones will flop, how not to frustrate gamers, where the money is. They have a huge library that they keep expanding - not just getting new games made, but getting them on salesfloors and in people's hands.
3) Price
Those gaming PDAs are really nice, and I'd kill for one. But, unlike a GBA SP, which is $100 (unless you're savvy, in which case it's $80), the Zodiac, etc. are very expensive ($200+) and most parents don't want to spend that much on features that won't be used. And regular PDAs? Pshaw! They don't have the sound hardware for it - it's harder than just playing an MP3.
Notice that while the GBA has huge numbers of potential competitors, none of them can compete. I imagine that if Nintendo were to collaspe, you'd see five different systems in the portable gaming market within a year.
... will you be hated by anthropologists and archeologists. Think about it - after any writing is worn away, someone will dig it up and compare it to the original (which is a National Treasure of Some Sort (TM), so it'll be safe).
At that point, they'll wonder if we're still pagans, or if pagans survived and migrated, or what... After all, they'll be able to date this one to 2005 AD, and the other one is thousands of years old.
Problem is, who's more likely to get a Maglev in their general area?
The poll most likely polled relevant people, ie, those who may see, let alone hear, a maglev within 50 miles of their house within their lifetime.
I hate rural PA... *sobs*
Whoops.... is that still there? *shrugs at curse of having old user names still in use...*
The content is mostly available at http://www.hitoma.com. Between college and work, after Hypermart's stunt I was unable to fix the site again yet. This summer... I swear... Heck, I even have a paid web host this time....
That may come eventually, but for now its basically our biggest suppliers and palleted shipments.
A register-level rollout would be far too expensive for right now, between retraining, tagging current merchandise, and new equipment. Backend is easier, because you can test and gradually switch.
Also, remember, that there is only cost savings for a register rollout if EVERY STORE has it and EVERY SUPPLIER tags items. That is a VERY VERY VERY long way off, IMHAIO.
Never heard of that tradition.... besides, like Halloween, night is so much better for tricks.
.sig, BTW.
Nice
I'm a Wal-mart employee. We are implanting RFIDs on shipping pallets, not merchandise. Foo! Put back the mouth cover on your tinfoil bodysuit, lest others control you by listening to what you say!!!
Um, it's only 6 PM on the east coast..... We get more lame jokes thanks to you...
Now, they forget to mention stage three... sponsored by Microsoft!
Stage three uses the rest of the matchstick probe (RFIDs are really tiny) to upload a custom version of Windows XP to all infected hosts.
Bill Gates, CSA of Microsoft, is quoted as saying, "This will create thousands of pay wireless internet terminals in major metro areas and simultaneously helping thousands of unfortunate souls. I am God."
Yet to be seen, however, is the effect of crashes, such as STOP errors, which has caused heart attacks in beta testers kidnapped in balck vans.
There are too many wasted words. He's concentrating on one per sentence, since he's delivering it as twelve points.... try this.
;)
1) The Internet is powered by,
2) is the carrier for,
3) and is the development platform for open source.
4) Open source is more secure than proprietary software,
5) yet benefits from anti-American sentiments.
6) Incentives around open source include the respect of one's peers.
7) Open source stands on the shoulders of giants.
8) Linux runs on any type of server,
9) or any embedded device.
10)Software isn't always made by software companies anymore.
11)Support is improving.
12)It's free.
Now, this takes it down to 72 words mostly through paraphrasing into compound sentences. I'll bet it could go down to 51 (half of the original) but I don't have time...
Now, anonymous reader, I've fulfilled your challenge. Where is my prize?
In all truthfulness, we need articles like this. Marc Andressen was once a name that some non-Techs even recognized. Quotes like these make conversion/assimilation easier.
Nah, this isn't a surprise. It's a powerful "GeeForce 4" yet doesn't add another $200 to the cost of your new computer. "Mah kid wonts one ah those GeeWhizBang 4s. This'll make 'em happy." How do they do it?
Because of NVidia's slick name schema (MX will denote basically the same low-end card, no matter what generation), many people have prolly been duped. (Note to lawyers: There is little possibility to have a class-action suit - the card gives benchmarks right on the box and.... oh, who the hell am I kidding, sue away!)
That said, also consider that this is a VALVE survey. Now, Valve games are popular, but they don't hit other segments, like those who play NASCAR games. I think that, in reality, these numbers are skewed for HL2's audience, and if we were able to see a real survey you'd see more MX cards, more ATI Rage Pro, and many more (but statistically hard-to-reconsile due to the differing names) integrated graphics.
This comes much too late for Intel and AMD. For the longest time, they had a clockspeed war, and now are in a stalemate.
This would be the perfect reason to boost clockspeed - if this chip is cheap, fast, and has low power consumption, it would be perfect for wireless networks. In fact, if this chip is as commodized as the article tends to imply, then depending on range it could make ad-hoc networks simple and easy.
But since it runs at 24 Ghz, even one stream would be too much for a standard server or one client PC to take advantage of fully. It would have to use some sort of buffering schema, IE, if you have a 2Ghz CPU dedicated on a server, then the card would hold the data until the CPU asks, then releases twelve times the data that the wireless chip put in the buffer at once.
Still, I don't think that they'd start marketing on that point again. Soon as they are fast enough for that killer app, they're in the same boat as before.
IANAL, but I think I see the line being drawn here.
Money can be made off of a parody, such as Spaceballs, because of the intent behind it - to make money directly from reaction to the parody.
Booble isn't doing that. Booble is using the name parody as an advertisement. They're trying to make money by using that as a pull, a gimmick, a trick.
Too bad Google probably has the name trademarked. Google now can use fair litigation to shut them down.
In other words: Google uses dark magics for good purposes, such as self-defense!
Between this and a couple of other companies mentioned in posts, it sounds like a couple of companies have learned something:
Customer service is the difference between low piracy at a reasonable price and high piracy at any price.
You can acquire music anywhere. You can easy use P2P or copy a friend's CD - the latter has good value as a promotional tool.
But when you treat someone as though they are already a criminal - that they need to protect their music from activities that the end user typically considers legal - the value of music at any price drops. No one can argue that iTunes is unsucessful, but they have a tricky balance - enough DRM to protect against illegal use while allowing quite a bit of fair use. Sadly, this will not last forever. A new tool will come out, or record companies will change terms, or something. Enjoy it while it lasts.
I now respect Warp Records. I'm a sucker for customer respect (part of why I'm satisfied with working at Wal-mart while I'm in college - because they too show genuine concern, at least at 2597 (my store)). I don't even think I had heard of them, but now I'll check out their site. Maybe buy a tune or two.
...because I have three younger brothers who just got a new computer and want to play all of 'Shawnee's games. Now, do I want to hand them my original FF VII PC CDs? How about Diablo 2? Or perhaps one of the nice games I bought myself for Christmas? I don't want to play them... I'll just let them leave it on the stand, then on the floor, then in spilled soda, etc...
Maybe, just maybe, this isn't a bad idea in and of itself, and we just need an implementation with disc authentication (ie, disc is encrypted, DRM file on family PC can unlock it).
No, wait... it's just an evil company whose sole purpose is to make the impossible possible: now, every pirate in the world has a tool that can duplicate CDs. Oh, wait, they had CloneCD. And CDRWin/Fireburner. And approximately 1.2 Gazillion other cd burning tools....
Let us consider a few points:
1) Slashdot is a forum of geeks who dream of, read and watch about, and want such mecha.
2) Whether you find it agreeable or not, a versatile mecha, if well-built, could be significantly more useful than a tank, some aircraft, or a single-shot missile.
3) My parent reply is not the only one that mentions battle-type mecha.... Which begs an extention of one, a view that 'practical' mecha are barely newsworthy.
Um... I don't allow my younger brothers (10, 9, and 6 yrs old) to watch Eva. I'd say it's PG or R. There's just a little too much blood, violence, nudity, religious themes, suicide, internal conflict, and complex philosophy to allow them.
A medium does not define absolute context for all that is within it. Big O, to stay on topic, has little blood, but a bit of swearing, deep philosophy, some religious overtones, and implied relationships between humans and androids. There have been some complex discussions between other ADULTS and myself about that last one. I argue, in futility, that it is merely due to the fact that Angel aka Agent 340 cannot be a damsel in distress, but I never pull it off.
Hell, I hate to admit it, but even MTV does something right every once in a while.
And they had to be born on the same day, when a cataclysmic event happened. Not to mention the fact that each must have a different psychosis.
There are a few threads saying 'oh, this has been done' and 'it's useless' already.
That's silly. It's a prototype. (Perhaps even a test type or earlier!) It has no weapons. No armor. The electronics are there, but the cockpit in the current form is uncomfortable and small. There is no life support. It's small, bordering on "this is just a new kevlar vest, right?" tiny.
But before millionaires can have Big series and the rest of the world Leos or Zakus, these inefficient designs must come and go. Eventually we'll stumble on a Tallgeese or something.
Besides, they didn't say it was combat-ready. IIRC, the blurb says it was the "HyperRescueRobot." That doesn't sound like something I'd want to pilot into a war.
Not to mention the fact that the cockpit not only lacks armor, but is exposed. What is this, Dorothy-1?
Now, I'm toying with building a Big O cockpit. I just need a few other parts funded and built, and then "It's SHOWTIIIIME!!!!"
(Note: I have been considering a Big O replica cockpit, but slowly changing that plan. Unsuprisingly, Slashdot is the impetus for this gradual change.)
I thought the recording industry said that this business model wouldn't work...
Define what you mean by works. In the RIAA's eyes, what is success? A normal person would say "end piracy", something which this only stems the tide of a bit, and a pessimist/slashdotter might say "Give RIAA and members buckets of money", which again this doesn't.
Actually, commercial viability is also questionable. Is iTunes profitable, in and of itself? Or is it propped up by iPod sales and Apple? Are Napster or Musicmatch doing well from their stores?
Really, I'd like to see statistics comparing song downloads to song purchases since the iTunes for Windows release.
The Gamecube is the 2-16 year old market.
I would never buy one because the game selection is primarily for little kids (Mario, anime, silly Japanese shit, etc.).
I'm sorry to hear that. You see, I just bought a gamecube at the new price point and have already picked up 2 games beside the included Mario Sunshine: Rogue Squadron 2 and Soul Caliber 2. SC2 has LINK on the GC. LINK! And I doubt my younger brothers would be very good at Rogue Leader.
Then there are the games I plan on getting: Super Smash Brothers Melee, which looks kiddish but is actually addictive; Viewtiful Joe, which IMHO is the most original side scroller I've seen in years; Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, which is no kiddie game; Rogue Squadron 3, see above; and a few more.
Yes, there are *many* kiddie games. But I don't think the Metroid Prime, Lost Kingdoms 1 or 2, or P. N. 03 I drool over are even appropriate for kids. And what about Phantasy Star Online and 007?
You need to look at the whole issue; I bought the GC because it was accessible to my younger brothers, had quite a few games I'll enjoy, and is at a good price point.
I wouldn't care if the Gamecube was $5.
If this is the case, you have SERIOUS issues. A $5 gamecube would make a great doorstop or paperweight at the very least, but if it had the hardware in it then there are fun games to be played.
Besides, GC is pretty closed up, but I've heard some latent hackability is coming into play.
While K++ does put a dent in their business model, why do this? It seems like a good idea, but has one fatal flaw:
It legitimizes the suit against them.
Think about it: in both Kazaa and Google, the method of infringement, if it exists, is the same: Allow search results that may or may not be pirated.
By basically validating the complaint against them, they allow RIAA to argue the same point very easily, except in this case it is a blood-thirsty industry group instead of a small computer company.
Oh, well... It doesn't matter, because the next filesharing tool will rise up fast.
Personally, I prefer the clue-by-four. Better range and a much more satisfying TWACK. Clean up is a real pain, but it's worth it.
No good. It could also check, offhand, process name, filesize, gfx calls, textures, checksums, etc. It's hard to disguise that well, and ultimately should they have to?
Amen. I work at a Walmart. Now, any purchase we should check signature for. At the very least when the terminal says "Check signature" (on $100+, new cards, wathced cards, etc.) we should. Yet no one does. I've seen this so many times. It's sad.