The majority of the games are targetted towards 15-18 yr. olds who think they are 25. Games requiring deep thinking and an attention span (Final Fantasy has little strategic/tactical depth) rarely see the light of day on a console that is not the GBA (compare the GBA's strategy titles to those on the PS2).
Erm, you want strategy or tactical depth? Try the following console games:
Let's start with PSX:
Arc the Lad 1, 2
Final Fantasy Tactics
Front Mission 3
Metal Gear Solid
Ogre Tactics
Sayuki: The Journey West
Vagrant Story
Vandal Hearts
Those are the ones I have (besides Ogre Tactics). I could throw some puzzle/action/strategy games in besides MGS (like Alundra, Silent Hill, even Gran Turismo), but I won't bother. Now for PS2, and what the hell, I'll throw in the action or puzzle ones this time:
Dynasty Tactics 1, 2
Disgaea
Escape from Monkey Island
Everblue 2
Fatal Frame 1, 2
Ico
Metal Gear Solid 2
Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Shadow of Destiny
Silent Hill 2, 3
Unlimited SAGA
Wizardry
These are just the ones I have or can think of off the top of my head. Final Fantasy (the main series, at least), while not requiring a lot of deep thought, is also not the only RPG or game on the console. The strategy games for consoles blow away the simple RTS's I've seen for the PC, in depth, fun factor, and storyline.
Bah, this has the exact specifications of a Zaurus SL-5500. And it looks cheaper and clunkier and the keyboard is some snapon crap. And it's $400! You can pick up SL-5500's these days for cheap.
For the record, I do love my Zaurus. The battery life isn't super, but it lasts about a week or so worth of actual use before I need to charge it (unless I'm in a meeting and need to "take notes"...read: play a game). I don't code on it though, but it's highly beneficial to be able to get in and tweak various scripts to do nifty things (like when cards are inserted).
Anyway, if you're going to spend $400, you can probably get a newer model or an iPAQ and load OpenZaurus/OpenEmbedded (yes, it works on non-Zaurus hardware). You'll probably end up wanting that anyway.
How many times do you Linux lusers have to be told that we don't want to use linux.
Actually, we don't really give a crap about what you want. You're mostly cluebies who shouldn't have a say in the matter, and the cause of most of these problems. You're the ones who use the vulnerable software, and click on things because they tell you to. (Remember, one of the last worms was purely a trojan---the user had to do all the work.)
You should use Linux (or OSX, or whatever), because we tell you to, and we know what we're talking about. You're causing problems that affect a lot of people (the networks get saturated), and you need to stop.
Let's look at your points:
Games. Get a Nintendo/PS2/XBOX/whatever. It's more plug-and-play than Windows. (Don't think I don't know about all the driver and compatibility issues PC games run into.)
Good software support. Hah. Most Windows programs are monolithic, clunky, closed systems (i.e. you can't extend them, script them, etc.). They may or may not conform to a UI model, and they may or may not even get along with each other. If you think what you're using is good, try OSX or KDE 3.1. You'll be amazed.
It just works. Well, if you're lucky, it does. At least for now. It might not the next time you boot though, or when you install that next piece of software. I've had better luck with Linux "just working" lately (Fedora and other modern distros do an awesome job of having all the drivers there for most things you'd need... even installing nvidia drivers these days is trivial or automatic) than trying to haggle with Windows.
OSX is far better than both in this regard, though.
Eventually, Linux will have the same problems. As others have pointed out... no, it won't. Unprivileged users cannot compromise the system, have low-level access (like writing to the drive), and are subject to other restrictions which severely limit the impact a worm can have.
Anyway, your last (unnumbered) point about programs needing refinement is probably the only accurate one. Most do need refinement; however, the beautiful thing about the Linux and Free Software community is that they constantly are being refined. And if there's something you don't like, I suggest you help out, or quit complaining about it.
People seem to think Google is simply a place to find HTML pages. You type in your words, and poof, you get some relavent sites. Could this be replaced in 3 months? Google has a huge index, a very good search algorithm, and works for most people, but (in theory) someone might come up with a working alternative in that period. However:
Images is great for searching for pictures. The results are uncannily good.
Groups lets you search Google's huge Usenet archive (remember when they purchased this from Deja?).
why dont people RTFM and find out that XFree86 have been writing their own accelerated (yes, 3D as well) drivers for ATI cards since time began... as they release the specs.
Yeah, right, and how well do the XFree86 drivers perform on UT2K4 with everything turned up? Do they support my Dual DVI card? TV-Out? I didn't think so.
I say screw it. Whats happened happened. If Microsoft is bad they will fail all by themselves. They don't need the rule of laws help.
This is utterly ridiculous. Microsoft got where they were because of the law. If they can ignore the law now, why shouldn't I? Without law, let's see... someone could go raid their campuses, steal their hardware, take their softwareware, kill their employees, and destroy them with a physical assault. But no: there is law, and law enforcement, to prohibit this, and allow Microsoft and other companies to flourish.
There is other law, and law enforcement, to prevent Microsoft (and other companies) from doing bad things, too. That's we're seeing right now, and for the most part, it's unfortunately weak.
Some laws are stupid, and need changed (DMCA, USA PATRIOT, etc), but for the most part, society is the scale, and law is the balance. Without law, there would be no society, and without good law, and enforcement of the law, the balance will tip.
Also, worst website design ever. Really, did these guys use GeoCities as their style guide? I don't know whether to be more offended by the TOS or the front page layout.;-)
(For the humor-impaired, this criticism is a "functional parody". Yeah, that's the ticket.)
There are not that many games that come out only for one platform any more, and of the ones that do, it seems like XBox is getting the coolest ones (Halo (1 & 2), Morrowind, etc)
Maybe it's just the games you tend to play, but:
Ape Escape 2
Arc the Lad 4
Contra
DDRMAX
Devil May Cry
Disgaea
Dragon Quest 8
Dynasty Tactics
Everblue 2
Final Fantasy X, X-2, XII
Frequency, Amplitude
Gran Turismo 3, 4
.hack
Ico
Jak and Daxter, Jak II
Kingdom Hearts
Klonoa 2
Ratchet and Clank, R&C 2
Red Faction, RF2
Rez
Shadow Hearts, SH2
Sly Cooper
Suikoden 3, 4
Twisted Metal Black
UNLIMITED Saga
Virtua Fighter 4, VF4 Evolution
WildARMs 3
Wipeout Fusion
Xenosaga
These are the exclusive titles I have and/or can think of off the top of my head (mostly sequels to ones I have and can think of). For many people, including myself, Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest alone are console-selling franchises. Where Square-Enix goes is where I put my money. The fact there are a ton of other good, exclusive games doesn't hurt. XBOX has what, Halo? That's nice. But it's not enough, unless you're only an occasional gamer.
I think a lot of people forget the biggest thing going for the PS2 when it debuted wasn't the games but the builtin DVD player.
This is true as well. Unfortunately most people find that the DVD player has one major flaw: compatibility. This is unfortunate, because (at least with the later drivers) the interface and remote were very high-quality.
(Oddly, compatibility isn't a PS2-specific problem. The XBOX has problems as well, and so do most dedicated DVD players! I found this out pretty quickly when shopping for one. I ended up with a $70 Samsung, which has no reported issues, and even played most of the way through a cracked DVD, but I like the PS2's UI much better.)
However I don't think any of these things were the "biggest". I think the biggest thing going for the PS2 was Sony hype, riding on the success of the PS1.:-) Fortunately for Sony they were able to back it up with a great library. And hopefully they will continue the trend with the PS3.
But when they buy the new console, "I can use it play all the old games" is one of those lies people tell themselves to convince themselves to buy an expensive new system with a limited games library.
For most people I know, this is anything but a lie. I still play PS1 games; I still buy PS1 games on occasion (when I can find something rare/interesting). Up until about 6 months ago I was buying PS1 games fairly regularly. Texture smoothing is nice (for instance, it makes DW7 actually look good), and reduced loads really help.
Many gamers I know still play SNES, NES, Genesis, and other older console games. They were good games and that's the number one reason to play (or replay)... not because of flashy graphics.
However, it may be less of an advantage for Microsoft. The PS1 had a huge library of quality games. The XBox just has a handful.
This is true. As you can see, I have quite a few RPGs for the PS1, and a number of them I haven't even started. They'll provide many years of good gaming. If the current console makes them look 5x better and run 5x faster, who am I to complain?
I don't know I already have an Xbox to play Xbox games. If I didn't have one I'm sure you can pick one up when Xbox2 comes out for the about $50-$70. I'd rather my Xbox2 be alot cheaper with new functionality.
This is a short-sighted view. You're forgetting a few things:
The XBOX doesn't have very large market penetration. Most people who might don't already have one.
Microsoft wants to increase their share of the market
People will look at the XBOX2 and say "yeah, so, there are a few games right now, but I can go buy a completely different console (XBOX) for even more money to tide myself over, or, I can by a PS3, which will play all the old PS2 games, and the few PS3 games there are, for one price."
The choice is pretty obvious. This was a major selling point for the PS2, especially since it enhanced a few lacking aspects of PS1 games, and the PS3 is supposed to have comparable enhancements (load time was a big one, I recall).
Basically, it's the choice between a 2-in-1 console with a very large existing game library and hot new titles, a GameSphere (or whatever) with Nintendo-exclusive titles (Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Pokemon), or an XBOX2, the successor to a rather unsuccessful XBOX that didn't have a lot of exclusive content in the first place. Plus, this round, Sony and Nintendo might not even let Microsoft have the technical advantage, either.
When it all comes down to it, it's about the games, and the PS3 and Cube successor will provide many, many good reasons to buy in this category.
Think of trying to convince Ford drivers to switch to your brand of car. If the vehicle you're selling looks like something Mad Max might drive [...], you're only going to get a sale from a very few maniac buyers.
Yeah, but I'm saying don't compete with Ford by building cars. Ford moves people from place A to place B with cars. The problem isn't building a better car, it's getting someone from point A to point B. Build flying machines, teleporters, or the next greatest thing, because cars are (metaphorically) poorly designed and out of date.
Maybe a cooler, faster, sleeker road vehicle is the way to go. Maybe not. But the solution is not to look at the competition's 18-wheeler, copy it, and stack more bloat on the top.
I think we agree, but I think that people can be drawn to new things (especially shiny new things) if they're good enough (better UI, better functionality, etc.).
So all of the OSS projects that are attempting to replicate microsoft functionality should just pack it in and fold?
Yes.
This is not a joke. People should stop wasting their time on a poor replicated version of an already poor clone of someone else's product (in this case, Microsoft). Instead they should focus on coming up with something that's actually new, or at least improved. For instance, the world doesn't need an office suite. It needs a way to create documents, do calculations, and store data. An office suite is only a poor, monolithic, bloated way of doing this.
This doesn't mean we shouldn't compete with existing products, or steal good ideas. However, we should steal good ideas. The "start" button was not a good idea. Browser-everything wasn't either.
You know building a better mousetrap starts with the basics and if another company or project has the basics down pat you pretty much have to re-invent that wheel before you can innovate.
The problem (metaphorically speaking) is people are trying to build mousetraps, and not trying to solve the problem: getting rid of mice. Mousetraps are only there to catch mice. There are other, probably more effective ways to deal with the actual problem.
Yeah, it's kinda amazing how much things have shifted away from a government of the people, especially these days with all the "we're here to protect you" and the like attitude. I guess it happened slowly, but it's still sad.
Dont underestimate this. Go read that letter. Its designed to appeal directly to the politician in every fasion you can possibly do so.
Yeah, I know. I was trying to make a joke aimed at both SCO's lack of funds and the current politics-for-sale demeanor of Congress.
However, regarding GPL = communism, someone here has a really great quote in their sig about it... something like "free software is as much about communism as..." and I forget the rest.;-(. If you're reading this, could you please post it?:-) I think it's both on-topic and insightful. Thanks!
Slashdot Mirror
Erm, you want strategy or tactical depth? Try the following console games:
Let's start with PSX:
Those are the ones I have (besides Ogre Tactics). I could throw some puzzle/action/strategy games in besides MGS (like Alundra, Silent Hill, even Gran Turismo), but I won't bother. Now for PS2, and what the hell, I'll throw in the action or puzzle ones this time:
These are just the ones I have or can think of off the top of my head. Final Fantasy (the main series, at least), while not requiring a lot of deep thought, is also not the only RPG or game on the console. The strategy games for consoles blow away the simple RTS's I've seen for the PC, in depth, fun factor, and storyline.
I think Apple already has this one patented.
Bah, this has the exact specifications of a Zaurus SL-5500. And it looks cheaper and clunkier and the keyboard is some snapon crap. And it's $400! You can pick up SL-5500's these days for cheap.
For the record, I do love my Zaurus. The battery life isn't super, but it lasts about a week or so worth of actual use before I need to charge it (unless I'm in a meeting and need to "take notes"...read: play a game). I don't code on it though, but it's highly beneficial to be able to get in and tweak various scripts to do nifty things (like when cards are inserted).
Anyway, if you're going to spend $400, you can probably get a newer model or an iPAQ and load OpenZaurus/OpenEmbedded (yes, it works on non-Zaurus hardware). You'll probably end up wanting that anyway.
Six whole megabytes? That's like, ten times 640K, and everyone knows that's all anyone needs!
Did the article mean 6 gigabytes? Or a 6MB cache, or what?
Actually, we don't really give a crap about what you want. You're mostly cluebies who shouldn't have a say in the matter, and the cause of most of these problems. You're the ones who use the vulnerable software, and click on things because they tell you to. (Remember, one of the last worms was purely a trojan---the user had to do all the work.)
You should use Linux (or OSX, or whatever), because we tell you to, and we know what we're talking about. You're causing problems that affect a lot of people (the networks get saturated), and you need to stop.
Let's look at your points:
Anyway, your last (unnumbered) point about programs needing refinement is probably the only accurate one. Most do need refinement; however, the beautiful thing about the Linux and Free Software community is that they constantly are being refined. And if there's something you don't like, I suggest you help out, or quit complaining about it.
So what new feature is Google planning this time, then?
Duck And Cover!
All two of them?
And here I thought NASA had technology to take care of this remotely.
Yeah, I recall IGN mentioning something about that, too.
True, but Google has it all in one place. Mindshare is another thing Google has lots of, and this helps.
People seem to think Google is simply a place to find HTML pages. You type in your words, and poof, you get some relavent sites. Could this be replaced in 3 months? Google has a huge index, a very good search algorithm, and works for most people, but (in theory) someone might come up with a working alternative in that period. However:
And more. Babelfish translation? Caching like a billion pages? Simple design, with text ads that are actually relavent? In 3 months.
Yeah, right.
Yeah, right, and how well do the XFree86 drivers perform on UT2K4 with everything turned up? Do they support my Dual DVI card? TV-Out? I didn't think so.
This is utterly ridiculous. Microsoft got where they were because of the law. If they can ignore the law now, why shouldn't I? Without law, let's see... someone could go raid their campuses, steal their hardware, take their softwareware, kill their employees, and destroy them with a physical assault. But no: there is law, and law enforcement, to prohibit this, and allow Microsoft and other companies to flourish.
There is other law, and law enforcement, to prevent Microsoft (and other companies) from doing bad things, too. That's we're seeing right now, and for the most part, it's unfortunately weak.
Some laws are stupid, and need changed (DMCA, USA PATRIOT, etc), but for the most part, society is the scale, and law is the balance. Without law, there would be no society, and without good law, and enforcement of the law, the balance will tip.
Also, worst website design ever. Really, did these guys use GeoCities as their style guide? I don't know whether to be more offended by the TOS or the front page layout. ;-)
(For the humor-impaired, this criticism is a "functional parody". Yeah, that's the ticket.)
Maybe it's just the games you tend to play, but:
These are the exclusive titles I have and/or can think of off the top of my head (mostly sequels to ones I have and can think of). For many people, including myself, Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest alone are console-selling franchises. Where Square-Enix goes is where I put my money. The fact there are a ton of other good, exclusive games doesn't hurt. XBOX has what, Halo? That's nice. But it's not enough, unless you're only an occasional gamer.
This is true as well. Unfortunately most people find that the DVD player has one major flaw: compatibility. This is unfortunate, because (at least with the later drivers) the interface and remote were very high-quality.
(Oddly, compatibility isn't a PS2-specific problem. The XBOX has problems as well, and so do most dedicated DVD players! I found this out pretty quickly when shopping for one. I ended up with a $70 Samsung, which has no reported issues, and even played most of the way through a cracked DVD, but I like the PS2's UI much better.)
However I don't think any of these things were the "biggest". I think the biggest thing going for the PS2 was Sony hype, riding on the success of the PS1. :-) Fortunately for Sony they were able to back it up with a great library. And hopefully they will continue the trend with the PS3.
For most people I know, this is anything but a lie. I still play PS1 games; I still buy PS1 games on occasion (when I can find something rare/interesting). Up until about 6 months ago I was buying PS1 games fairly regularly. Texture smoothing is nice (for instance, it makes DW7 actually look good), and reduced loads really help.
Many gamers I know still play SNES, NES, Genesis, and other older console games. They were good games and that's the number one reason to play (or replay)... not because of flashy graphics.
This is true. As you can see, I have quite a few RPGs for the PS1, and a number of them I haven't even started. They'll provide many years of good gaming. If the current console makes them look 5x better and run 5x faster, who am I to complain?
This is a short-sighted view. You're forgetting a few things:
The choice is pretty obvious. This was a major selling point for the PS2, especially since it enhanced a few lacking aspects of PS1 games, and the PS3 is supposed to have comparable enhancements (load time was a big one, I recall).
Basically, it's the choice between a 2-in-1 console with a very large existing game library and hot new titles, a GameSphere (or whatever) with Nintendo-exclusive titles (Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Pokemon), or an XBOX2, the successor to a rather unsuccessful XBOX that didn't have a lot of exclusive content in the first place. Plus, this round, Sony and Nintendo might not even let Microsoft have the technical advantage, either.
When it all comes down to it, it's about the games, and the PS3 and Cube successor will provide many, many good reasons to buy in this category.
Obviously, it's ~360 Linux licenses.
Yeah, but I'm saying don't compete with Ford by building cars. Ford moves people from place A to place B with cars. The problem isn't building a better car, it's getting someone from point A to point B. Build flying machines, teleporters, or the next greatest thing, because cars are (metaphorically) poorly designed and out of date.
Maybe a cooler, faster, sleeker road vehicle is the way to go. Maybe not. But the solution is not to look at the competition's 18-wheeler, copy it, and stack more bloat on the top.
I think we agree, but I think that people can be drawn to new things (especially shiny new things) if they're good enough (better UI, better functionality, etc.).
Yes.
This is not a joke. People should stop wasting their time on a poor replicated version of an already poor clone of someone else's product (in this case, Microsoft). Instead they should focus on coming up with something that's actually new, or at least improved. For instance, the world doesn't need an office suite. It needs a way to create documents, do calculations, and store data. An office suite is only a poor, monolithic, bloated way of doing this.
This doesn't mean we shouldn't compete with existing products, or steal good ideas. However, we should steal good ideas. The "start" button was not a good idea. Browser-everything wasn't either.
The problem (metaphorically speaking) is people are trying to build mousetraps, and not trying to solve the problem: getting rid of mice. Mousetraps are only there to catch mice. There are other, probably more effective ways to deal with the actual problem.
Yeah, it's kinda amazing how much things have shifted away from a government of the people, especially these days with all the "we're here to protect you" and the like attitude. I guess it happened slowly, but it's still sad.
YES, thanks :-)
Yeah, I know. I was trying to make a joke aimed at both SCO's lack of funds and the current politics-for-sale demeanor of Congress.
However, regarding GPL = communism, someone here has a really great quote in their sig about it... something like "free software is as much about communism as..." and I forget the rest. ;-(. If you're reading this, could you please post it? :-) I think it's both on-topic and insightful. Thanks!