Apparently you missed some of the finer points of this bit here. Why make better commercials when you can redefine the medium to require viewing of commercials? Think "Disney DVD."
We already have the "broadcast bit" in our flavor of ATSC now, what's to stop some new standard including a "no channel surfing bit?" It would allow broadcasters to charge even more to advertisers, which they would then argue would enable more/better shows. Why wouldn't Congress let this happen?
I did. The only mention of such devices Google has turned up were essentially carbon copies of the link provided.
"What the hell is your problem anyway????"
A statement was made. I questioned the validity. I have yet to see anything to back up the claim other than "my uncle's brother's nephew's cousin's former roommate heard of one once."
"you keep on ranting and raving about how certein things are not true but you cannot produce one letter of useful info."
I'm supposed to prove a negative?
"> why didn't Sony continue to leverage this advantage?" "Why the hell should Sony???"
To make more money, perhaps? To get a leg up on the competition? To use Nintendo's own library against them? It's what corporations do.
"No it does not need 'serious changes'... so what??? youre a console hardware expert all of a sudden????"
The PlayStation and the SNES do not share common hardware. The PlayStation cannot play SNES games without resorting to software emulation (something that the EMU community still hasn't been able to do, if it's even possible.) A console that plays both PSX discs and SNES cartridges would have to literally have both consoles in one case, and at the time that would result in a console possibly larger than even the Xbox (this is before even the SFC Jr, don't forget). This is also why the SNES did not play NES games (devices available on the web that claim they do are simply Famicom clones that get power from the SNES and pass through the a/v feed, much like the GBA player for GCN).
"Remeber that Nintendo did the same thing a few years later with the N64 => they designed a magnetic expansion drive for that console"
Apples/oranges. The 64DD is an add-on. The device described is a PSX and an SNES in one. The claim is that Sony started with an add-on, threw in SNES hardware, produced said device, and then removed the SNES hardware again. Nobody ever produced an N64/64DD all-in-one box.
"So what??? you are making the product naming rules now O Highly exaulted one..."
It's called "market forces." Confusing customers is bad for business. Sony calling two mutually exclusive pieces of hardware on the market "PlayStation" would be like them calling their current VHS VCR line "Betamax." And it flies in the face of Sony's current trend of trying to makes "PlayStation" more a consumer electronics brand name than a piece of hardware (making home a/v components that also happen to play PlayStation software).
"Why didnt the N64 DD drive get into rotation???"
It did. Games were made for it. They're uncommon but can generally be found on eBay and most import shops.
If there was an SNES device that played CDs, Seiken Densetsu 2 (and probably 3) would have been published on CD. As it was, Squaresoft held off publishing Seiken Densetsu 2 as long as it could until it became clear that there would be no such device. Large parts of the game were then cut to fit it into a cartridge. Looking at Squaresoft's track record with Bandai, no matter how unpopular an SNES CD might have been, if it were produced, Squaresoft would have published for it.
Re:I talked to an exchange student from Japan...
on
Japan's Empire of Cool
·
· Score: 4, Insightful
" If you look at Border's or Barnes, you'll see five or six shelves of Manga,"
Just a shame that 5 out of those 6 shelves are all Dragon Ball...
If there are 200 of these devices out there, where are they? Why haven't they shown up on eBay? And what about these Super Discs, shouldn't there be at least 200 of those out there as well? What titles were they?
If the original hardware had the capability to play SNES cartridges, why did Sony stop? It's common knowledge that the SNES was the most popular console well into the PlayStation's life (Donkey Kong Country, anyone?), so why didn't Sony continue to leverage this advantage?
With Sega's "me, too!" strategy with the Sega Saturn, why didn't the Saturn play Genesis cartridges in light of what Sony was doing?
Dropping cartridge support and changing optical media sounds like a major hardware overhaul. Why would a company that needed coaxing from Nintendo to begin with to get into the video game hardware industry be willing to make such drastic changes before launch? And why wouldn't the company that made sure to put PlayStation hardware into the PlayStation 2 make sure the newer PlayStations could play these Super Disks?
Why did Sony keep the "PlayStation" name? As a rule you're not supposed to keep the name of old hardware unless it was wildly successful. If 200 of these SNES-compatable PlayStations were out there, why didn't they change names to avoid confusion and compatability issues? Did Sony recall the original consoles? If so, where are the records of the recall?
Why did Nintendo let Sony make so many Super Famicom clones? Sure, you saw licence games on CD-I, but you sure as hell didn't see Nintendo allowing Philips to make ports of SFC games. Why did they allow Sony to go even one step beyond that, playing SFC games outright?
If Nintendo didn't let Sony do this, why hasn't Nintendo sued Sony back to the stone age? This would obviously be a violation of Nintendo's intellectual property rights. And to avoid future lawsuits, not only would Sony's newer PlayStation models have absolutely no hardware in common with the original SFC clone, but they would drop the "PlayStation" name as well, making sure future customers don't associate Sony's product with their previous violation of IP.
Why would a device originally intended to connect to a Super Famicom have the ability to play Super Famicom cartridges? Isn't that a bit redundant and a waste of precious volume in the case? Why would Sony make hardware with no SFC hardware (and no use for it), then put the hardware in, manufacture 200 of them, and then take the SFC hardware back out again?
If these machines were actually produced, why were Seiken Densetsu 2 & 3 still produced on carts?
"You just tell them "well, I was going to vote for your candidate, but since you called to pestered me, I'll vote for the opponent instead." *click*"
And then the candidates set up telemarketing campaigns that claim to be from their opponent's camp. In Louisiana's gubenatorial run-off last month, Republican Bobby Jindal all but accused Democrat (and governor-elect) Mary Blanco of doing just that.
Then perhaps you can tell me, O master of research, where exactly in that article it claims that 200 of the devices were made? Or didn't you read my entire sentence before you wrote your flippant little response? I would hate to accuse you of hypocricy, so it must be that your reading comprehension skills are a little.... shall we say "below average?"
If you're going to try to be a smart-ass, make sure you do it right. Then maybe you won't have to post as an AC.
Re:I wish Sony didn't call it the PSX.
on
PSX Review At Lik-Sang
·
· Score: 3, Insightful
"Super Nintendo with a CD drive. 200 made,"
Proof? I'd sooner believe a limited production run of the Sega Neptune than what you describe.
"PlayStation X (PSX): The PlayStation as we know it."
Calling the original PlayStation "PlayStation X" is somewhat like calling Nintendo's previous console "Ultra" or their current one "Dolphin." The "PSX" designation referred to the pre-release project that Sony worked on that eventually produced the console ("eXperimental") and it just happened to carry on in popular use after the console was released.
"PlayStation One (PSone): Original PSX, just in a smaller form factor."
Pay closer attention. It is referred to by Sony as either "PlayStation (PSOne)" or simply "PSOne."
"PlayStation 2 (PS2): The PS2 - how hard does it get?"
Yeah, everybody knows that stands for "Personal System/2!" Oh, wait...
At any rate, Sony never actually sold the original PlayStation as "PSX." At worst they're co-opting popular slang.
"I have a hell of a lot more confidence in French democracy than I have in American democracy."
Let's see... in recent years we've seen France finish up their campaign against free speech (making sure folks like Yahoo don't publish things the French government doesn't like) and now they're moving against free expression of religion in schools (starting young). I see no reason to believe they'll stop there. Democracy is rather useless without free thought. At least in the US our courts are making headway in protecting personal liberties again.
More logistic capabilities than you can shake a stick at, a dedicated point of ingress the program won't have to share with commercial interests and a shorter drive from the airstrip to the site to defend against Greenpeace.
I'd rather build in a country where earthquakes are fairly regular and are well-prepared for than in a country where they're very rare and will take engineers by surprise when they happen.
" I got one of these -- just the controllers, not the gamepads --"
Um... huh?
"but it actually only supports the old standard of 4"
It's called "backwards compatability." This was released in the days of Win95 (pre-OSR2) and it was still quite important to be able to use your new controllers in your old DOS games without having to use a memory-resident keyboard mapper.
The unit has 4 "proprietary" (just your standard 9-pin controller port actually, like an Atari or a Genesis) and two regular controller ports. When the multiport doesn't detect GrIP software, the LED on the device is red and it functions like a normal 4-axis, 4-button setup. The layouts of the buttons are different if you use 1 & 3 or 2 & 4 for the sake of giving you options (one of them uses the shoulder buttons for left and right for things like driving games, for example). You can also flip a switch to instead use two regular game/MIDI ports for plugging in your old conntrollers, functioning as a normal Y-cable.
However, when the software and multiport recognize each other, each pad functions as a genuine 8-button pad. Or, if you find and/or make your own adapters, you could plug in 10-button Gravis Gamepad Pros (the PSX look-alike, the white one) instead. Essentially, the technology used in the GrIP multiport is the same way the Gamepad Pro works with its switch and built-in y-adapter: 1 position use for a single, 4-button controller (for Doom II, of course:)), one position to plug in a second controller and let each have 2 buttons, and the third position for two GrIP-compatable controllers so that two can be connected to the same port and use all 10 buttons. It's essentially the same philosophy they used in their original 4-button gamepad (flick a switch for 4-button or 2-button with turbo) carried to its logical conclusion.
"they're still unwieldy due to the crooked cross controller,"
Then go out and get 4 Gamepad Pros and the necessary adapters. That's really the optimum set-up for the device.
"Linux's USB Sidewinder Pro support is perfectly fine,"
It's funny you mention the Sidewinder. I have one of the original Sidewinder pads as well but still preferred the way Gravis did things (backwards compatability is my friend!). The second port on the Sidewinder works only with other Sidewinder controllers, but you could practically plug whatever you want into multiport, Gamepad Pro or even the short-lived Xterminator pad.
At any rate, I personally wish I could get my multiport to work in XP. Anybody know where I can get some software for this?
"The resolution never passed becasue the Reagan Administration (Reagan, Baker, Bush sr, Cheney etc) vetoed it."
You know, you don't get to be the US ambassador to the United Nations without the approval of the Senate, which was controlled by the Democrats at the time. And many of them are still there.
If you're going to lay blame, please make sure to distribute it fully.
Slashdot Mirror
"Ads will HAVE to become better very soon"
Apparently you missed some of the finer points of this bit here. Why make better commercials when you can redefine the medium to require viewing of commercials? Think "Disney DVD."
We already have the "broadcast bit" in our flavor of ATSC now, what's to stop some new standard including a "no channel surfing bit?" It would allow broadcasters to charge even more to advertisers, which they would then argue would enable more/better shows. Why wouldn't Congress let this happen?
"I should learn more Japanese than "Dozo, ichi biru! Hai! Domo arigato" and the names of assorted foodstuffs."
Phase 1: Learn romanji
Phase 2: ???
Phase 3: Kanji!
"Go fish... maybe youll find a few... "
I did. The only mention of such devices Google has turned up were essentially carbon copies of the link provided.
"What the hell is your problem anyway????"
A statement was made. I questioned the validity. I have yet to see anything to back up the claim other than "my uncle's brother's nephew's cousin's former roommate heard of one once."
"you keep on ranting and raving about how certein things are not true but you cannot produce one letter of useful info."
I'm supposed to prove a negative?
"> why didn't Sony continue to leverage this advantage?"
"Why the hell should Sony???"
To make more money, perhaps? To get a leg up on the competition? To use Nintendo's own library against them? It's what corporations do.
"No it does not need 'serious changes'... so what??? youre a console hardware expert all of a sudden????"
The PlayStation and the SNES do not share common hardware. The PlayStation cannot play SNES games without resorting to software emulation (something that the EMU community still hasn't been able to do, if it's even possible.) A console that plays both PSX discs and SNES cartridges would have to literally have both consoles in one case, and at the time that would result in a console possibly larger than even the Xbox (this is before even the SFC Jr, don't forget). This is also why the SNES did not play NES games (devices available on the web that claim they do are simply Famicom clones that get power from the SNES and pass through the a/v feed, much like the GBA player for GCN).
"Remeber that Nintendo did the same thing a few years later with the N64 => they designed a magnetic expansion drive for that console"
Apples/oranges. The 64DD is an add-on. The device described is a PSX and an SNES in one. The claim is that Sony started with an add-on, threw in SNES hardware, produced said device, and then removed the SNES hardware again. Nobody ever produced an N64/64DD all-in-one box.
"So what??? you are making the product naming rules now O Highly exaulted one..."
It's called "market forces." Confusing customers is bad for business. Sony calling two mutually exclusive pieces of hardware on the market "PlayStation" would be like them calling their current VHS VCR line "Betamax." And it flies in the face of Sony's current trend of trying to makes "PlayStation" more a consumer electronics brand name than a piece of hardware (making home a/v components that also happen to play PlayStation software).
"Why didnt the N64 DD drive get into rotation???"
It did. Games were made for it. They're uncommon but can generally be found on eBay and most import shops.
If there was an SNES device that played CDs, Seiken Densetsu 2 (and probably 3) would have been published on CD. As it was, Squaresoft held off publishing Seiken Densetsu 2 as long as it could until it became clear that there would be no such device. Large parts of the game were then cut to fit it into a cartridge. Looking at Squaresoft's track record with Bandai, no matter how unpopular an SNES CD might have been, if it were produced, Squaresoft would have published for it.
" If you look at Border's or Barnes, you'll see five or six shelves of Manga,"
Just a shame that 5 out of those 6 shelves are all Dragon Ball...
Yeah, I can make a website too.
If there are 200 of these devices out there, where are they? Why haven't they shown up on eBay? And what about these Super Discs, shouldn't there be at least 200 of those out there as well? What titles were they?
If the original hardware had the capability to play SNES cartridges, why did Sony stop? It's common knowledge that the SNES was the most popular console well into the PlayStation's life (Donkey Kong Country, anyone?), so why didn't Sony continue to leverage this advantage?
With Sega's "me, too!" strategy with the Sega Saturn, why didn't the Saturn play Genesis cartridges in light of what Sony was doing?
Dropping cartridge support and changing optical media sounds like a major hardware overhaul. Why would a company that needed coaxing from Nintendo to begin with to get into the video game hardware industry be willing to make such drastic changes before launch? And why wouldn't the company that made sure to put PlayStation hardware into the PlayStation 2 make sure the newer PlayStations could play these Super Disks?
Why did Sony keep the "PlayStation" name? As a rule you're not supposed to keep the name of old hardware unless it was wildly successful. If 200 of these SNES-compatable PlayStations were out there, why didn't they change names to avoid confusion and compatability issues? Did Sony recall the original consoles? If so, where are the records of the recall?
Why did Nintendo let Sony make so many Super Famicom clones? Sure, you saw licence games on CD-I, but you sure as hell didn't see Nintendo allowing Philips to make ports of SFC games. Why did they allow Sony to go even one step beyond that, playing SFC games outright?
If Nintendo didn't let Sony do this, why hasn't Nintendo sued Sony back to the stone age? This would obviously be a violation of Nintendo's intellectual property rights. And to avoid future lawsuits, not only would Sony's newer PlayStation models have absolutely no hardware in common with the original SFC clone, but they would drop the "PlayStation" name as well, making sure future customers don't associate Sony's product with their previous violation of IP.
Why would a device originally intended to connect to a Super Famicom have the ability to play Super Famicom cartridges? Isn't that a bit redundant and a waste of precious volume in the case? Why would Sony make hardware with no SFC hardware (and no use for it), then put the hardware in, manufacture 200 of them, and then take the SFC hardware back out again?
If these machines were actually produced, why were Seiken Densetsu 2 & 3 still produced on carts?
"You just tell them "well, I was going to vote for your candidate, but since you called to pestered me, I'll vote for the opponent instead." *click*"
And then the candidates set up telemarketing campaigns that claim to be from their opponent's camp. In Louisiana's gubenatorial run-off last month, Republican Bobby Jindal all but accused Democrat (and governor-elect) Mary Blanco of doing just that.
Then perhaps you can tell me, O master of research, where exactly in that article it claims that 200 of the devices were made? Or didn't you read my entire sentence before you wrote your flippant little response? I would hate to accuse you of hypocricy, so it must be that your reading comprehension skills are a little.... shall we say "below average?"
If you're going to try to be a smart-ass, make sure you do it right. Then maybe you won't have to post as an AC.
"Super Nintendo with a CD drive. 200 made,"
Proof? I'd sooner believe a limited production run of the Sega Neptune than what you describe.
"PlayStation X (PSX): The PlayStation as we know it."
Calling the original PlayStation "PlayStation X" is somewhat like calling Nintendo's previous console "Ultra" or their current one "Dolphin." The "PSX" designation referred to the pre-release project that Sony worked on that eventually produced the console ("eXperimental") and it just happened to carry on in popular use after the console was released.
"PlayStation One (PSone): Original PSX, just in a smaller form factor."
Pay closer attention. It is referred to by Sony as either "PlayStation (PSOne)" or simply "PSOne."
"PlayStation 2 (PS2): The PS2 - how hard does it get?"
Yeah, everybody knows that stands for "Personal System/2!" Oh, wait...
At any rate, Sony never actually sold the original PlayStation as "PSX." At worst they're co-opting popular slang.
"Never has a spacecraft been built so quickly, on so little money, and been sent on such a long journey fraught with so many dangers."
Never has Churchill been so abused by such poor parodies.
I really don't want to know where the bow would go...
Which decision though? The one to make it, or the one to buy it?
No no, Syria wasn't involved. Those were Hezbollah freedom fighters.
</SARCASM>
Ramadan ended weeks ago. Now who's the insensitive clod?
Heck, it conveniently ended shortly before US Thanksgiving...
"i saw a usb powered toothbrush at some obscure japanes page,"
Any USB-powered Hello Kitty "personal massagers?"
"Yes, that's one of the things that makes France more democratic than the US,"
Again, democracy is useless without free thought.
"one person's "free expression of religion" is an attempt at religious indoctrination to others."
So long as government resources aren't used in any way, shape or form, why should that be prevented?
"It costs more to drive on the NYS Thruway than it does for the MS Turnpike."
Mississippi has a turnpike?
"If they an opinion, then the other countries should respect it and get on with it."
Yes. If the US thinks that the reactor shouldn't be based in France, other countries should respect it and get on with it.
"I have a hell of a lot more confidence in French democracy than I have in American democracy."
Let's see... in recent years we've seen France finish up their campaign against free speech (making sure folks like Yahoo don't publish things the French government doesn't like) and now they're moving against free expression of religion in schools (starting young). I see no reason to believe they'll stop there. Democracy is rather useless without free thought. At least in the US our courts are making headway in protecting personal liberties again.
"a nearby US military base."
"Why is that relevant?"
More logistic capabilities than you can shake a stick at, a dedicated point of ingress the program won't have to share with commercial interests and a shorter drive from the airstrip to the site to defend against Greenpeace.
I'd rather build in a country where earthquakes are fairly regular and are well-prepared for than in a country where they're very rare and will take engineers by surprise when they happen.
" I got one of these -- just the controllers, not the gamepads --"
:)), one position to plug in a second controller and let each have 2 buttons, and the third position for two GrIP-compatable controllers so that two can be connected to the same port and use all 10 buttons. It's essentially the same philosophy they used in their original 4-button gamepad (flick a switch for 4-button or 2-button with turbo) carried to its logical conclusion.
Um... huh?
"but it actually only supports the old standard of 4"
It's called "backwards compatability." This was released in the days of Win95 (pre-OSR2) and it was still quite important to be able to use your new controllers in your old DOS games without having to use a memory-resident keyboard mapper.
The unit has 4 "proprietary" (just your standard 9-pin controller port actually, like an Atari or a Genesis) and two regular controller ports. When the multiport doesn't detect GrIP software, the LED on the device is red and it functions like a normal 4-axis, 4-button setup. The layouts of the buttons are different if you use 1 & 3 or 2 & 4 for the sake of giving you options (one of them uses the shoulder buttons for left and right for things like driving games, for example). You can also flip a switch to instead use two regular game/MIDI ports for plugging in your old conntrollers, functioning as a normal Y-cable.
However, when the software and multiport recognize each other, each pad functions as a genuine 8-button pad. Or, if you find and/or make your own adapters, you could plug in 10-button Gravis Gamepad Pros (the PSX look-alike, the white one) instead. Essentially, the technology used in the GrIP multiport is the same way the Gamepad Pro works with its switch and built-in y-adapter: 1 position use for a single, 4-button controller (for Doom II, of course
"they're still unwieldy due to the crooked cross controller,"
Then go out and get 4 Gamepad Pros and the necessary adapters. That's really the optimum set-up for the device.
"Linux's USB Sidewinder Pro support is perfectly fine,"
It's funny you mention the Sidewinder. I have one of the original Sidewinder pads as well but still preferred the way Gravis did things (backwards compatability is my friend!). The second port on the Sidewinder works only with other Sidewinder controllers, but you could practically plug whatever you want into multiport, Gamepad Pro or even the short-lived Xterminator pad.
At any rate, I personally wish I could get my multiport to work in XP. Anybody know where I can get some software for this?
" You know that ambassadors are pretty much rubber stamped."
If they can't handle responsibility then they shouldn't be Senators.
"The resolution never passed becasue the Reagan Administration (Reagan, Baker, Bush sr, Cheney etc) vetoed it."
You know, you don't get to be the US ambassador to the United Nations without the approval of the Senate, which was controlled by the Democrats at the time. And many of them are still there.
If you're going to lay blame, please make sure to distribute it fully.
"Slate has passionate words to impart about classic games and how "restrictions... inspire creativity""
Well, we all already know the converse is true, that bloatware inspires crappy games...
Time to go download the latest version of DirectX!
""Flavour." That's so genteel and British-sounding . . ."
It could be worse. It could have been "flava."