I use my PS3 all the time to play BluRays, DVDs (PS3's DVD upscaling is outstanding) movies that i've download straight to its internal hard drive or streamed from my media server. Flash streaming through websites using its browser . Movies i have downloaded from torrents and also i can watch iPlayer,4oD and tonnes of other ways to view content to boot. I would say bar having an actual HTPC the ps3 is pretty damn awesome as a media computer - certainly better out of the box than any of the other games consoles and BR/DVD Players. I do occaisionally end up with files it refuses to play but that is so rare and usually stuff encoded with codecs you will only ever find on a computer running VLC or MPlayer.
Fan noise is only a problem if you dont keep the PS3 free from dust and let it build up. I have a ps3 PHAT which was a replacement after i had a problem with the old one. Im told the slim's are much quieter. either way my PS3 fan noise is a non-issue for me. Maybe you should clean your PS3 out and try to keep it dust free...
Could this robot potentially violate the first and second laws of Robotics?
1 A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. 2 A robot must obey any orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
Forgetting Licensing and Patenting issues for a moment - What are the advantages of using a Hurd based debian over a linux based one? Are there any performance benefits or architecural differences that make it better in some way?
Why might i want to use hurd other than for psuedo political reasons?
I almost bought a Wii - but when the excitement of the Wii controllers wore off i'd played a couple of Wii games. I realised that im not interested in most of the "cutesy" games. Im not interested in Mario, Zelda, Sonic and all that jazz I never was when i was a kid. I also find the music for Nintendo games to be very annoying - mostly sound like crappy midi scores to me. Im pretty certain if i were to buy a Wii - I would rapidly bore of it and it would gather dust under the bed. I guess im just not the target demographic. I like games with depth and detail - not just visually and sonically but with storyboard too. I want games that immerse me in believable worlds and make me feel part of the story.
I appreciate my above comments might seem shortsighted - particularly if you are a nintendo die hard - but my shortsightedness i probably mirrored by a large proportion of the more mature gamers out there. - That is what nintendo have to change!
Wii U looks pretty decent - although IMHO - Wii U is what the original Wii should have been when it came out. At the time it would have been able to compete on a more level playing field - spec's wise . Just like its predecessor the Wii U will feel technically "last gen" but has a fancy new controller to give it a different edge. In terms of the Wii U's power - its just not a big enough leap for me to take the plunge.
If this is what Wii U is like.. just lets wait and see what the other two console manufacturers throw on the table...
"The Ubuntu Software Center still lacks many important features that are present in Synaptic"
Im pretty sure Synaptic will be only an "apt-get" away. Lets not forget the target audience Ubuntu is aiming for here. Ubuntu is definitely the way in for new Linux adopters and so the more complicated software such as synaptic will be replaced with newbie friendly stuff. Old hands like me and probably a fair percentage of slashdot readers are also using ubuntu because they have gone through the gentoo / slackware phase , customising or rolling their own linux. We just want something that works (tm) gives us all the linux goodness we have come to love. Its no big deal for us to "sudo apt-get install synaptic" really is it? Every one wins linux newbies get something they can get along with. and us Linux afficionados get to have our cake and eat it.
Bye Bye Libraries and Second Hand Book shops, Bye Bye lending books to friends.
Seriously though - I dont own an e-reader , Kindle or Otherwise (unless you count my phone) - I really like the idea of an e-reader - But I really dont like the implications this has for the social aspect of books.
I think I speak for a lot of people in this case and for this reason I dont think there will come a day when real books dissappear.
From a techie perspective however - the idea of having a device able to display fat , heavy , techie books on a lightweight device with an e-ink display - is a very appealing idea as the real things are bulky and heavy to cart around. Any idea whats the best e-reader for this type of material ?
If i had mod points I would mod you up. Been through various distro's since the late 90's learned a lot about Linux from Gentoo in particular- but ultimately nowadays I just need things to work and fit together in a coherent way. Thats why I use Ubuntu at home and at work.
You speak for me and probably a lot of other people here too. "It just works" (tm)
"It may not be as powerful as an xbox360, but id has already shown that some good stuff can come out of it. And who needs 55million poly/sec for angrybirds?"
You would buy a games console for the promise of playing Angry Birds?....
Yeah.. The cost of the iPad 2 (plus the accessories you mention) vs the cost of a Wii / 360 / PS3 - Hmm tough choice . Lets see... a games library of Angry Birds clones / Physics games or a huge back catalogue of content rich engrossing games spanning many different genres.
Nah... I dont think iPad + dock + controllers is a winner AT ALL. I think you are fantasising some what.
If apple want to create a successful games console they are going to have to "Think Different"(tm) (vomits in the corner).
As far as innovation is concerned Nintendo appear to be ahead of the curve right now - although im not really big on nintendo game library which is a bit too cutesy for me.
The article suggests Apple may be considering a future Games Console. On the face of it though might sound like a nice idea - However - Im not sure I like the idea of replacing my games console every 6months to keep up with apples upgrade cycle. If i wanted that kind of experience i would go back PC gaming. You can count me out on that one thankyou very much !
I totally understand why such a thing is not prevalent. Surely - in terms of data mining peoples tastes and interests a "Dont Like" button would be very useful too.
Suppose some company catches on that I am interested in computers - I dont neccessarily want them sending me info about Windows or OSX so i might want to be able to know that I "Dont Like" those topics.
Also , a friend of mine on FB the other day posted an item about a crime that had been committed in his neighbourhood and people were "Liking" it. That doesnt work in my mind. Someone gets stabbed and people "Like" it ? whats the world coming too ?
1) Vendors not supporting common standards, instead inventing alternative ones that effectively do the same thing or , failing that,they are just missing 2) Developers not testing properly in a wide range of common browsers , worse still locking our certain browsers completely. 3) Developers not providing graceful degradation for users whose browsers do not support certain features, or have javascript turned off.
Most of these issues could be resolved if issue number 1 was fixed. Sadly certain companies refuse to do this because they have too much dominance in the marketplace. That said (Coming from a Chrome Lover) - I was actually quite surprised when I tried out the IE9 test drive and found that not only were they accessible from other browsers - but in Chrome on Linux (I didnt test Firefox) many of the tests ran just fine (http://ie.microsoft.com/testdrive/). Which makes me wonder if the world is about to be a better place for developers.
As Nintendo , iOS and Android have shown you dont need state of the art graphics or control mechanisms to convince punters to part with their hard earned cash.
PS3 and 360 have a catalogue of visually impressive games surpassed only by a fairly expensive PC.
As a Geek and a Gamer ill stick with my console thanks purchasing a new console every so many years is much perfered to buying a new graphics card (+Other upgrades) every 6 months just to keep up with the goalposts. Also I dont want to put myself through the constant driver updates and security patches of having Windows running the show.
I keep my gaming to my console and my computing to my linux boxes - that works best for me.
That said , the current debacle with Sony and the PS3 and the various Public relations nightmares with the 360. I cant help but think we need another player here thats taking a better attitude on how to give customers what they want. Everyone seems to be evil these days.
I wonder how many copies of Windows in its various different guises we have subsidised / paid for over the years only to wipe if off as soon as we unbox, power up and install free OS of choice on our new PC's? I've never once tried to get a Windows Rebate - I dont accept the EULA , maybe i should next time i purchase a laptop.
But your comment is right , two wrongs dont make it right - I gave up software piracy many years ago when i realised Linux had most of the tools i needed as Open Source equivalents. Games being the main issue - Thats why i have a shiny unmodded games console under my TV and a stack of games to go with.
The world isnt fair , but at least the ethics of Open Source are fair and I support that any day over Closed / Proprietary.
Apologies if this is offtopic.. but can you point me in the direction of that wifi bug? I might have that issue (which i currently attribute to my ISP being shit (virgin media) ) . Id like to read up on that .
I've lost count of the time I've looked at my mobile seconds before it is about to ring. This is completely unscientific, but I am convinced my brain has "learned" to recognise the electromagnetic interference caused by the phone just before its about to ring or receive a message.
Game Developers are more than capable of developing cross platform. But they have to go where the money is and what the Managers say, games cost an awful lot to develop. and while developing the code to be cross platform may or may not impact much on development time , it certainly impacts on QA - you are at least tripling your playtesting time as you now have to support 3 platforms. Look at the market share of Linux and Mac and its obvious that while its possible to develop crossplatform - the additional cost of supporting those platforms becomes a real problem. Not to mention Linux having a million different distributions and questionable graphics driver support.
Unless someone finds a disruptive technology that solves this problem.
One way may be to develop some sort of Virtual Machine that runs on all 3 major platforms and have games target that - this would then allow developers to target one "virtual" platform.
By the way -Porting CryEngine or Unreal Engine to QT is a preposterous suggestion - they are in no way similar frameworks , QT is for building desktop / moble applications - the other is for building 3D games. As far as I am aware Unreal Engine is already crossplatform in its own right.
Slashdot Mirror
Just in missouri it appears there must be a lack of common sense which is why they need a law for it.
I use my PS3 all the time to play BluRays, DVDs (PS3's DVD upscaling is outstanding) movies that i've download straight to its internal hard drive or streamed from my media server. Flash streaming through websites using its browser . Movies i have downloaded from torrents and also i can watch iPlayer ,4oD and tonnes of other ways to view content to boot. I would say bar having an actual HTPC the ps3 is pretty damn awesome as a media computer - certainly better out of the box than any of the other games consoles and BR/DVD Players. I do occaisionally end up with files it refuses to play but that is so rare and usually stuff encoded with codecs you will only ever find on a computer running VLC or MPlayer.
Fan noise is only a problem if you dont keep the PS3 free from dust and let it build up.
I have a ps3 PHAT which was a replacement after i had a problem with the old one. Im told the slim's are much quieter. either way my PS3 fan noise is a non-issue for me. Maybe you should clean your PS3 out and try to keep it dust free...
Could this robot potentially violate the first and second laws of Robotics?
1 A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2 A robot must obey any orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
Forgetting Licensing and Patenting issues for a moment -
What are the advantages of using a Hurd based debian over a linux based one?
Are there any performance benefits or architecural differences that make it better in some way?
Why might i want to use hurd other than for psuedo political reasons?
Nick ...
If Nintendo really want to increase appeal to hardcore gamers - they can start by putting a stop to crap like this ...
http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2011/06/resident-evil-mercenaries/
N...
I almost bought a Wii - but when the excitement of the Wii controllers wore off i'd played a couple of Wii games. I realised that im not interested in most of the "cutesy" games. Im not interested in Mario, Zelda, Sonic and all that jazz I never was when i was a kid. I also find the music for Nintendo games to be very annoying - mostly sound like crappy midi scores to me. Im pretty certain if i were to buy a Wii - I would rapidly bore of it and it would gather dust under the bed. I guess im just not the target demographic. I like games with depth and detail - not just visually and sonically but with storyboard too. I want games that immerse me in believable worlds and make me feel part of the story.
I appreciate my above comments might seem shortsighted - particularly if you are a nintendo die hard - but my shortsightedness i probably mirrored by a large proportion of the more mature gamers out there. - That is what nintendo have to change!
Wii U looks pretty decent - although IMHO - Wii U is what the original Wii should have been when it came out. At the time it would have been able to compete on a more level playing field - spec's wise . Just like its predecessor the Wii U will feel technically "last gen" but has a fancy new controller to give it a different edge.
In terms of the Wii U's power - its just not a big enough leap for me to take the plunge.
If this is what Wii U is like .. just lets wait and see what the other two console manufacturers throw on the table...
N.
"The Ubuntu Software Center still lacks many important features that are present in Synaptic"
Im pretty sure Synaptic will be only an "apt-get" away. Lets not forget the target audience Ubuntu is aiming for here. Ubuntu is definitely the way in
for new Linux adopters and so the more complicated software such as synaptic will be replaced with newbie friendly stuff.
Old hands like me and probably a fair percentage of slashdot readers are also using ubuntu because they have gone through the gentoo / slackware phase , customising or rolling their own linux. We just want something that works (tm) gives us all the linux goodness we have come to love. Its no big deal for us to
"sudo apt-get install synaptic" really is it? Every one wins linux newbies get something they can get along with. and us Linux afficionados get to have our cake and eat it.
A few points .
Bye Bye Libraries and Second Hand Book shops, Bye Bye lending books to friends.
Seriously though - I dont own an e-reader , Kindle or Otherwise (unless you count my phone) - I really like the idea of an e-reader - But I really dont like the implications this has for the social aspect of books.
I think I speak for a lot of people in this case and for this reason I dont think there will come a day when real books dissappear.
From a techie perspective however - the idea of having a device able to display fat , heavy , techie books on a lightweight device with an e-ink display - is a very appealing idea as the real things are bulky and heavy to cart around. Any idea whats the best e-reader for this type of material ?
N.
If i had mod points I would mod you up. Been through various distro's since the late 90's learned a lot about Linux from Gentoo in particular- but ultimately nowadays I just need things to work and fit together in a coherent way. Thats why I use Ubuntu at home and at work.
You speak for me and probably a lot of other people here too. "It just works" (tm)
"It may not be as powerful as an xbox360, but id has already shown that some good stuff can come out of it. And who needs 55million poly/sec for angrybirds?"
You would buy a games console for the promise of playing Angry Birds? ....
Yeah .. The cost of the iPad 2 (plus the accessories you mention) vs the cost of a Wii / 360 / PS3 - Hmm tough choice . Lets see ... a games library of Angry Birds clones / Physics games or a huge back catalogue of content rich engrossing games spanning many different genres.
Nah ... I dont think iPad + dock + controllers is a winner AT ALL. I think you are fantasising some what.
If apple want to create a successful games console they are going to have to "Think Different"(tm) (vomits in the corner).
As far as innovation is concerned Nintendo appear to be ahead of the curve right now - although im not really big on nintendo game library which is a bit too cutesy for me.
The article suggests Apple may be considering a future Games Console. On the face of it though might sound like a nice idea - However - Im not sure I like the idea of replacing my games console every 6months to keep up with apples upgrade cycle. If i wanted that kind of experience i would go back PC gaming. You can count me out on that one thankyou very much !
N.
Didnt take long for the details to get leaked..
Here is the info you are looking for
127-stipulation.pdf
N :)
Where are the "Dont Like" or "-1" buttons ?
I totally understand why such a thing is not prevalent. Surely - in terms of data mining peoples tastes and interests a "Dont Like" button would be very useful too.
Suppose some company catches on that I am interested in computers - I dont neccessarily want them sending me info about Windows or OSX so i might want to be able to know that I "Dont Like" those topics.
Also , a friend of mine on FB the other day posted an item about a crime that had been committed in his neighbourhood and people were "Liking" it. That doesnt work in my mind. Someone gets stabbed and people "Like" it ? whats the world coming too ?
Nick
All your base are belong to us ?
N...
It looks like microsoft have ripped off your Word Wiggle game too http://ie.microsoft.com/testdrive/Performance/WrigglyWords/Default.html
Its only problematic for the following reasons.
1) Vendors not supporting common standards, instead inventing alternative ones that effectively do the same thing or , failing that,they are just missing
2) Developers not testing properly in a wide range of common browsers , worse still locking our certain browsers completely.
3) Developers not providing graceful degradation for users whose browsers do not support certain features, or have javascript turned off.
Most of these issues could be resolved if issue number 1 was fixed. Sadly certain companies refuse to do this because they have too much dominance in the marketplace. That said (Coming from a Chrome Lover) - I was actually quite surprised when I tried out the IE9 test drive and found that not only were they accessible from other browsers - but in Chrome on Linux (I didnt test Firefox) many of the tests ran just fine (http://ie.microsoft.com/testdrive/). Which makes me wonder if the world is about to be a better place for developers.
N.
That will never happen , especially if Microsoft have anything to do with it.
As Nintendo , iOS and Android have shown you dont need state of the art graphics or control mechanisms to convince punters to part with their hard earned cash.
PS3 and 360 have a catalogue of visually impressive games surpassed only by a fairly expensive PC.
As a Geek and a Gamer ill stick with my console thanks purchasing a new console every so many years is much perfered to buying a new graphics card (+Other upgrades) every 6 months just to keep up with the goalposts. Also I dont want to put myself through the constant driver updates and security patches of having Windows running the show.
I keep my gaming to my console and my computing to my linux boxes - that works best for me.
That said , the current debacle with Sony and the PS3 and the various Public relations nightmares with the 360. I cant help but think we need another player here thats taking a better attitude on how to give customers what they want. Everyone seems to be evil these days.
N
I wonder how many copies of Windows in its various different guises we have subsidised / paid for over the years only to wipe if off as soon as we unbox, power up and install free OS of choice on our new PC's? I've never once tried to get a Windows Rebate - I dont accept the EULA , maybe i should next time i purchase a laptop.
But your comment is right , two wrongs dont make it right - I gave up software piracy many years ago when i realised Linux had most of the tools i needed as Open Source equivalents. Games being the main issue - Thats why i have a shiny unmodded games console under my TV and a stack of games to go with.
The world isnt fair , but at least the ethics of Open Source are fair and I support that any day over Closed / Proprietary.
N.
That leaves ChromeOS, which I assume will use HTML5 or Flash. ... Google have Native Client which addresses these issues. http://www.geek.com/articles/games/google-shows-off-quake-clone-running-in-native-client-20100513/
and all your base are belong to us.
Apologies if this is offtopic .. but can you point me in the direction of that wifi bug? I might have that issue (which i currently attribute to my ISP being shit (virgin media) ) . Id like to read up on that .
Cheers
N.
I must be mentally scarred too ... i had the exact same connection.
I've lost count of the time I've looked at my mobile seconds before it is about to ring.
This is completely unscientific, but I am convinced my brain has "learned" to recognise the
electromagnetic interference caused by the phone just before its about to ring or receive a message.
Game Developers are more than capable of developing cross platform. But they have to go where the money is and what the Managers say, games cost an awful lot to develop. and while developing the code to be cross platform may or may not impact much on development time , it certainly impacts on QA - you are at least tripling your playtesting time as you now have to support 3 platforms. Look at the market share of Linux and Mac and its obvious that while its possible to develop crossplatform - the additional cost of supporting those platforms becomes a real problem. Not to mention Linux having a million different distributions and questionable graphics driver support.
Unless someone finds a disruptive technology that solves this problem.
One way may be to develop some sort of Virtual Machine that runs on all 3 major platforms and have games target that - this would then allow developers to target one "virtual" platform.
By the way -Porting CryEngine or Unreal Engine to QT is a preposterous suggestion - they are in no way similar frameworks , QT is for building desktop / moble applications - the other is for building 3D games. As far as I am aware Unreal Engine is already crossplatform in its own right.
N.