I don't know/ For one thing, there are a (small) handful of good traditional-handheld games on the PSP...Lumines, Metal Gear Acid 1 and 2, Hot Shots Golf, Katamari, etc. And frankly, the other games you discuss are, by and large, well done. The market that the PSP is trying to corner has been more or less untapped to date (the DS has tried, but for the most part can't do it) and it's not for lack of desire. I -want- the type of games the PSP does.
That said, there are some problems.
The first, and I think you touched on this, is that too many of the games are more or less identical to the console counterparts, but on a tiny screen and with longer loading times. The PSP really has the opportunity to cater to hardcore gamers who are left somewhat underwhelmed by the Nintendo hardware, but most of us also own all the big consoles. If the same game comes out for the PSP and the Xbox 360, or even the PS2, which do you think I'm probably going to buy?
The second is that the controls suck. Yeah, I know, it's the classic cliched bitch, but it's true. The current crop of hardcore action games more or less require two analog controllers, and the PSP only has one. I -hate- trying to manage a two-stick game using the joystick and the button diamond. Honestly, if uSoft came out with something roughly equivalent to the PSP but with the full complement of controller bits, I think it'd be incredibly successful among the hardcore gamer set.
The third is what you said--it's trying to be a jack of all trades device. That said, they didn't make too many tradeoffs on the game side of it to try to cater to multimedia, and it doesn't bug me much. I just don't use those features (aside from occasionally using it as an O'Reilly Safari reader:D).
I don't think the PSP is a failure in any sort of general sense. I think it's the first of a new generation of handheld devices--much more so than the DS is. The DS is more of a side-story...it has some innovative features, and it's certainly a solid device, but I don't see touch screens taking the world by a storm. Having more screen space is nice, but frankly, I prefer the PSP visuals. I just don't see the DS strongly influencing the next few handhelds, whereas I do think the next entity--Sony or Microsoft--to put out a refined version of the PSP with better ergos and console-style controls will see some serious success.
Not necessarily. EC is defined as being appropriate for 3 and older. E is defined as being appropriate for 6 and older. You definition of appropriate may vary, of course, but I suspect most EC games are made for toddlers. A bright 6 year old would probably get bored.
As for what's made for what console, here's the roundup for the PS2, Gamecube, and Xbox. You can find these at http://www.esrb.org/index-js.jsp where there's a rather nice search engine.
PS2 EC: 1 game PS2 E: 567 games
Xbox EC: 0 games Xbox E: 349 games
Gamecube EC: 1 game Gamecube E: 306 games
Moral of this story is don't buy a console for your toddler (duh). As for the rest of the younguns, I suspect you could bankrupt yourself quite nicely for any of the systems and still stay age-appropriate.
Blackberries are largely corporate devices. Many corporations don't even allow cameras on premises, especially cellphone ones. The opportunities for IP theft are too great that way.
Go to My Documents\My Games\Oblivion and edit oblivion.ini. Search for [grass]. The first parameter (on mine) is grass density, defaults to 80. Knock that up a bit. The higher the number, the sparser the grass. You can find a nice balance between performance and looks that way, and the sparseness of it improves the visibility as you say. I like "160" myself.
There are other choices there. Perhaps they couldn't afford a four-year (even if you can get tuition assistance, the time is expensive and sometimes you have mouths to feed). Or, as in my case, they dropped out of school to take a job in the industry when people were shoving wads of money in your face to do so. Plenty of companies were hiring non-grads away from school in the boom of the mid-90's. Honestly, I've probably done better in my career for having had five years of industry experience by the time the bubble burst, rather than graduating a year or two beforehand.
I've been in the industry over ten years now and I'm doing fine. Moreover, I'm extremely invested in my career. I keep up on current tech, and purposely take jobs that are interesting and expand my field of knowledge. I won't say my knowledge base is 100% equivalent to a CS grad--I have no experience writing compilers, for example. However, when you consider how much of what I would have learned 10 years ago has become obsolete, and how much you pick up in ten years of doing the job, it's pretty damned close in practical application. My biggest problem is getting past HR without the degree (it's not that difficult, but some places have stone walls). Once I can talk to someone and show them what I know and how I think, I pretty much always get the offer.
As for your specific reasons, that's what references are for. Just because someone's dropped $50-100K into a CS degree doesn't mean they'll be professional, dedicated, or particularly good at what they do. It just means the money was there, and they did "well enough." That's not even sufficiently meaningful for the -first- job, hence the wisdom of taking internships. If you want to find -career- excellence in your candidates, look at their -career- history.
Actually, there are several 5.1 models with 3 speakers + a sub in each ear (center is a small speaker towards the front, left right in the normal place, surrounds towards the back, sub's basically a small bass-shaker, like you can buy for car seats). I have the Turtle Beach Ear Force ones, and I think the linked-to Medusas are another. This design does give somewhat better staging than any software virtualization I've heard does, once you dial in the relative volumes. That's not to say that you -couldn't- give a perfect representation through 2 speakers, but so far, the HRTF algorithms aren't perfect.
Which is one reason that the trademark is not longer nearly as strong once it becomes synonymous. If "photoshop" becomes demonstrably equivalent to "edit an image", it becomes a generic trademark. At that point, it's not nearly as protected, and you can look forward to "Microsoft Photoshop".
DVI + digital audio in one combined cable, basically. You can get dongles to let you connect HDMI to DVI; all they do is not pass the wires that have the audio signal.
Worth noting that the Canon IXUS II is the SD100 in the US, and the IXUS IIs (not the II2, as typoed above) is the SD110. I imagine the IXUS v3 is the SD200 or one of the other later SDs.
Yeah, "perfect gaming" is probably a bit of a stretch given that it has some integrated AGP 4x solution built in with no AGP port, along with the aforementioned Via processor. I'd much rather build out a Shuttle or the like.
Ah, OK. Yeah, in a corp environment I'd go with something like AltMe (we used icb at Red Hat/Cygnus). Too many security issues with standard IM software, IMO.
Well, you know, the idea is to talk to -other- people out there. I mean, if you really want to be king of your own chat system, great, but most of my friends would probably prefer that I use the servers they're already on...
Install the Tweak UI Powertoy. You get a "Group when N or more windows" option. Setting it to 2 gives you always. As you mention, the option to disable it entirely is in the standard taskbar preferences dialog.
I can do that too, for $0.79 a song + media, with Rhapsody. I agree that iTunes' download/burning is a little more convenient (Rhapsody -requires- you to burn, and I'm unsure if it supports multisession media), but the added ability to stream the entirety of nearly any album on the service is worth more to me than the ability to download without burning.
Re:What? No mention of the IBM CGA card
on
Video Card History
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· Score: 1
You could also damage or destroy a lot of older monitors by driving them at unsupported sync rates. Modern monitors will usually blank the screen and print a message. Old ones would attempt to match the rate and sometimes fail. I nuked my boss' monitor at one job switching Windows to a refresh rate I thought it could handle (but was wrong). The few seconds the confirmation dialog displayed were enough.
Slashdot Mirror
I don't know/ For one thing, there are a (small) handful of good traditional-handheld games on the PSP...Lumines, Metal Gear Acid 1 and 2, Hot Shots Golf, Katamari, etc. And frankly, the other games you discuss are, by and large, well done. The market that the PSP is trying to corner has been more or less untapped to date (the DS has tried, but for the most part can't do it) and it's not for lack of desire. I -want- the type of games the PSP does.
:D).
That said, there are some problems.
The first, and I think you touched on this, is that too many of the games are more or less identical to the console counterparts, but on a tiny screen and with longer loading times. The PSP really has the opportunity to cater to hardcore gamers who are left somewhat underwhelmed by the Nintendo hardware, but most of us also own all the big consoles. If the same game comes out for the PSP and the Xbox 360, or even the PS2, which do you think I'm probably going to buy?
The second is that the controls suck. Yeah, I know, it's the classic cliched bitch, but it's true. The current crop of hardcore action games more or less require two analog controllers, and the PSP only has one. I -hate- trying to manage a two-stick game using the joystick and the button diamond. Honestly, if uSoft came out with something roughly equivalent to the PSP but with the full complement of controller bits, I think it'd be incredibly successful among the hardcore gamer set.
The third is what you said--it's trying to be a jack of all trades device. That said, they didn't make too many tradeoffs on the game side of it to try to cater to multimedia, and it doesn't bug me much. I just don't use those features (aside from occasionally using it as an O'Reilly Safari reader
I don't think the PSP is a failure in any sort of general sense. I think it's the first of a new generation of handheld devices--much more so than the DS is. The DS is more of a side-story...it has some innovative features, and it's certainly a solid device, but I don't see touch screens taking the world by a storm. Having more screen space is nice, but frankly, I prefer the PSP visuals. I just don't see the DS strongly influencing the next few handhelds, whereas I do think the next entity--Sony or Microsoft--to put out a refined version of the PSP with better ergos and console-style controls will see some serious success.
W-4 is the withholding form. "W-2 employment" is probably what you're looking for there. :)
Not necessarily. EC is defined as being appropriate for 3 and older. E is defined as being appropriate for 6 and older. You definition of appropriate may vary, of course, but I suspect most EC games are made for toddlers. A bright 6 year old would probably get bored.
As for what's made for what console, here's the roundup for the PS2, Gamecube, and Xbox. You can find these at http://www.esrb.org/index-js.jsp where there's a rather nice search engine.
PS2 EC: 1 game
PS2 E: 567 games
Xbox EC: 0 games
Xbox E: 349 games
Gamecube EC: 1 game
Gamecube E: 306 games
Moral of this story is don't buy a console for your toddler (duh). As for the rest of the younguns, I suspect you could bankrupt yourself quite nicely for any of the systems and still stay age-appropriate.
On the other hand, we did have Daikatana, Prey (still have it!), Black and White: The Original Design, the 2nd gen 3DO, and the Super Nintendo CD...
I'm still wondering where you got the convertible diesel Fiero.
Though I do have to give you props for having a car that properly implements the HCF instruction.
Lordy.
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=assure
Definition 4. Damned grammar nazis!
On the downside, all your coworkers now think you're getting hot dolphin phone sex from 1-900-FLI-PPER on company time.
Blackberries are largely corporate devices. Many corporations don't even allow cameras on premises, especially cellphone ones. The opportunities for IP theft are too great that way.
Go to My Documents\My Games\Oblivion and edit oblivion.ini. Search for [grass]. The first parameter (on mine) is grass density, defaults to 80. Knock that up a bit. The higher the number, the sparser the grass. You can find a nice balance between performance and looks that way, and the sparseness of it improves the visibility as you say. I like "160" myself.
There are other choices there. Perhaps they couldn't afford a four-year (even if you can get tuition assistance, the time is expensive and sometimes you have mouths to feed). Or, as in my case, they dropped out of school to take a job in the industry when people were shoving wads of money in your face to do so. Plenty of companies were hiring non-grads away from school in the boom of the mid-90's. Honestly, I've probably done better in my career for having had five years of industry experience by the time the bubble burst, rather than graduating a year or two beforehand.
I've been in the industry over ten years now and I'm doing fine. Moreover, I'm extremely invested in my career. I keep up on current tech, and purposely take jobs that are interesting and expand my field of knowledge. I won't say my knowledge base is 100% equivalent to a CS grad--I have no experience writing compilers, for example. However, when you consider how much of what I would have learned 10 years ago has become obsolete, and how much you pick up in ten years of doing the job, it's pretty damned close in practical application. My biggest problem is getting past HR without the degree (it's not that difficult, but some places have stone walls). Once I can talk to someone and show them what I know and how I think, I pretty much always get the offer.
As for your specific reasons, that's what references are for. Just because someone's dropped $50-100K into a CS degree doesn't mean they'll be professional, dedicated, or particularly good at what they do. It just means the money was there, and they did "well enough." That's not even sufficiently meaningful for the -first- job, hence the wisdom of taking internships. If you want to find -career- excellence in your candidates, look at their -career- history.
Actually, there are several 5.1 models with 3 speakers + a sub in each ear (center is a small speaker towards the front, left right in the normal place, surrounds towards the back, sub's basically a small bass-shaker, like you can buy for car seats). I have the Turtle Beach Ear Force ones, and I think the linked-to Medusas are another. This design does give somewhat better staging than any software virtualization I've heard does, once you dial in the relative volumes. That's not to say that you -couldn't- give a perfect representation through 2 speakers, but so far, the HRTF algorithms aren't perfect.
Which is one reason that the trademark is not longer nearly as strong once it becomes synonymous. If "photoshop" becomes demonstrably equivalent to "edit an image", it becomes a generic trademark. At that point, it's not nearly as protected, and you can look forward to "Microsoft Photoshop".
k
http://www.answers.com/topic/genericized-trademar
Yeah? So, um, where do you work? :D
DVI + digital audio in one combined cable, basically. You can get dongles to let you connect HDMI to DVI; all they do is not pass the wires that have the audio signal.
Worth noting that the Canon IXUS II is the SD100 in the US, and the IXUS IIs (not the II2, as typoed above) is the SD110. I imagine the IXUS v3 is the SD200 or one of the other later SDs.
You can, and I have. You can use either one or both connectors as you wish.
Except for mine, which did.
a rd /productdetails.aspx?pid=022
http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/mouseandkeybo
Mine (the Natural Pro) even includes a USB hub, for god's sake.
Yeah, "perfect gaming" is probably a bit of a stretch given that it has some integrated AGP 4x solution built in with no AGP port, along with the aforementioned Via processor. I'd much rather build out a Shuttle or the like.
Ah, OK. Yeah, in a corp environment I'd go with something like AltMe (we used icb at Red Hat/Cygnus). Too many security issues with standard IM software, IMO.
Well, you know, the idea is to talk to -other- people out there. I mean, if you really want to be king of your own chat system, great, but most of my friends would probably prefer that I use the servers they're already on...
Install the Tweak UI Powertoy. You get a "Group when N or more windows" option. Setting it to 2 gives you always. As you mention, the option to disable it entirely is in the standard taskbar preferences dialog.
Keep in mind that 32 ft^3 is only a little over 3 feet on a side. That's not all that much when you consider the probable volume of two tons of trash.
I can do that too, for $0.79 a song + media, with Rhapsody. I agree that iTunes' download/burning is a little more convenient (Rhapsody -requires- you to burn, and I'm unsure if it supports multisession media), but the added ability to stream the entirety of nearly any album on the service is worth more to me than the ability to download without burning.
You could also damage or destroy a lot of older monitors by driving them at unsupported sync rates. Modern monitors will usually blank the screen and print a message. Old ones would attempt to match the rate and sometimes fail. I nuked my boss' monitor at one job switching Windows to a refresh rate I thought it could handle (but was wrong). The few seconds the confirmation dialog displayed were enough.
That "weighs 10oz instead of the ipod's 6oz" might be a bit of a bummer, though. 10oz is a pretty fat portable.
Otherwise, looks pretty decent, aside from the lack of expandability and the slow USB1.1 connection.