In never fails to impress me with how excited people get over these "innovations" in portable gaming. Those familiar with the turbo express have been enjoying a complete backlit screen with 16 bit (heh....here we go) graphics in slick black package for years. The turbo express also boasted a tv tuner and the ablility to share games with the standard console, a feat so impressive you actually have to see the Hu Cards to believe.
My beloved street fighter 2 even looked better on the turbo express than it did on the genesis (64 colors on screen at once, yuk)...if only you could get used to hitting select to alternate between punches and kicks.
You can usually spot one on ebay for around 100 bucks, a few games included...
I dont recall the name, but a friend of mine actually had a book on solving the original in 15 minutes or less, and it actually seemed to have a solid strategy base behind it.
it was written by some math professor who spend a whole summer obsessing (much like the rest of america at the time) with the cube...
at any rate, i wish id read the damn book.... for some reason, since i work with computers, people expect me to be able to solve puzzles like that in real time, while concurrently explaining how to fixed their botched aol 3.0 installations....
gah
Ive been using the encryption add-on at http://www.johnytech.com for quite some time and dont have any complaints.... It works fine and integrates with all the major IM clients, although im not sure about the All-in-one offerings, ie: trillian.
This is absolutely retarded....
3D Mark 2003 is not to be trusted, not because of some pro-Nvidia stance i have, but more so because, as its been said 100 times already, 3D Marks can often have relatively small insight as to how hardware will actually work with games. Everyone posting about how they're never going to buy another Nvidia card is just being foolish, as ATI and Nvidia will most likely both provide consistant, cutting edge hardware at a reasonable price.
It should also be taken into consideration the ammount of pressure put on these two companies, since (I still have trouble believing this) major OEM's actually use 3dmark as a factor when purchasing hardware. If i've lost respect for anyone in this whole ordeal, its Dell.
I use 3d studio max, and i play warcraft 3. On occasion, ill pop in a FPS, and I look forward to Doom ]|[. Call me silly, but performance with those applications are what govern what hardware ill be buying next, not a synthetic benchmark. ESPECIALLY one that doesnt have the source readily available...
I wouldnt mind seeing an open source GL benchmark, written by individuals that have nothing to lose or gain by a cards performance. (please, drop a link if one exists)
I rarely buy a PC game. I typically download it, play it for a day or 2, and dismiss it....
Warcraft 3 is a different story. I found myself playing the downloaded copy for weeks. So many nights where the hours grew long and my eyelids grew heavy....
So i bought it. It stunned me that a game could hold such quality and replay value. What i didnt expect, however, was to find that playing on bnet would introduce a whole new world of competition, and a unique modding community (The custom games are outstanding). If you saw me right now, you would see that i didnt have time to take a shower this morning. Thats because until 3 am, i was playing on bnet, and sleep seemed suddenly less important than owning in footman tourny. And i cant stop. Blizzard has created one of the best games of all time, and ill be waiting in line for FT;) By the way, if you havent bought it already, id really recommend the Deluxe Set, i got mine for 60 bucks (10 more than the standard), and i got the soundtrack on CD, a DVD disk with all the cinematics, a book filled with story and concept art, and some beatifull prints.
While its true that most "gamers" wouldnt be overly excited about the gaming power of the box, you have to admit its a hell of a toy...
Coupled with the fact that the (presumably) target audience is more of a passive gamer (I still know alot of people happy with an N64 in their living room) looking for a decent console with a large gamebase as well as a multimedia solution, i think they have a winner...
I disagree, in that while Doom ]|[ is an unfinished engine, its "close" to being finished, the majority of work remaining is level design, etc. The problem here is that we've signed ourselves over to benchmarks as the defining mark (pun!) of a video cards performance. Its ridiculous.
The whole point i was trying to make is that Doom ]|[ paints one picture, while 3dmark paints another. Both are DX9 applications. Which one are you going to trust when it comes to your gaming performance?
Doubly so when it comes to this beta membership situation. I mean, seriously, if NVIDIA had stayed with the program, and ATI bailed, what would have happened....
I think i made a mistake in mentioning toms hardware. Its a website i read, and personally trust.
Hardocp also had a review of the 5900 running doom ]|[, and if you dont trust them im sure there are a dozen more hardware sites out there.
(Note: the hardocp team had troubles with the current set of ATI drivers, from what i understand this is/has been/being worked on)
Hey, i want to know the truth just as much as the next guy, but seriously.... does this seem odd that when Nvidia opts out of this hundred-thousand-dollar beta program, this happens?
Ive read 5-6 reviews of the FX 5900 and everyone seems to think its great, and rightly gives Nvidia the 3d crown. (Especially concerning Doom ]|[:)
If you read the interview, its even brought up that the 5900 seems to do just fine in all other benchmarks, only futuremark seems to give it a hard time, and im not buying that crap about Doom 3 benchmarks not being readily available. If i remember, Toms had a good review of that....
But seriously....
With movies as epic and entertaining as the Matrix trilogy, LoTR... etc, watching a cam or TS is just not an option. (At least the first time around).
The experience of watching a movie on the big screen just can't be compared to a digital cam mounted in a movie theatre. (And watching my drunken friend fall on some girl in the middle of the movie adds a special something. heh.)
Id also like to point out that, in this case, the movie has pulled in well over 300 MILLION dollars. The second 2 movies were reportedly made for 300 Million. That means that Revolutions is paid for. Any money from that movie, unless im missing something, would be considered profit.
If it has anywhere near the success of Reloaded.... Warner Bros will not be hurting.
You just have to realize, there is no good TS
I share the same opinions as most of the/. crowd, in that if i feel a product is worth it, i will buy it. I've been screaming for years about how if the RIAA wants me to buy more CD's, they need to offer more for what is already an obviously bloated pricing situation, or offer me a cheaper medium that i can access directly from home. Generally, when it comes to music,
1) Download a few tracks from kazaa at home.
2) Spend a few days listening to it.
3) Go purchase the album / Download the remaining tracks, or disregard the music as something not in my taste.
I currently have about 10 albums sitting in the corner of my bedroom that have not even been opened, with the music residing on my PC.
I also have no problems downloading albums that i have purchased (sometimes, 3-4 times) even though i dont currently posses a copy of the CD... due to theft, scratched cd's, whatever. The RIAA would have you believe that i am a thief in doing so. I believe the RIAA can lick my scrotum.
At any rate, I think MS's plan would end up being worthless. As i've stated before, i feel that if i pay for something, i *own* the rights to posses it, no matter what. I once made the mistake of encoding one of my albums in WMA. The CD melted in my car... and since this was a couple of formats ago (yes, i run windows:p) I've found the files to be useless, because windows feels i dont "own" those wma files. The absolute LAST THING I WANT is for MS to be in control of what it feels i "own" and dont own.
This is EXACTLY the kind of thing i was looking for....
The company i work for outfits schools with computers (1 per student), with assorted laptop distribution, and the current 199$ "Walmart PC" is actually a pretty solid option. 1.1 Ghz Duron, 128 meg ram, 10 gig HD, NIC, etc....
Even the linux skeptics have trouble arguing the price. 450 for an 800mhz laptop, here i come.
I build networks for charter schools, most of which use Switched on Schoolhouse as curriculum. The general idea is a good one, but its fallen apart due to
a) The teachers fearing that these computers would someday replace them,
b) general flaws in the software itself (it tries to make learning exiting, but it often just ends up with the student reading 6 pages of material before falling asleep), or
c) Inadequate support for the machines themselves, as against my professional recommendation, the school didn't seem to believe that a system administrator was worth working into the year's budget
On the lighter side of things, students are allowed to advance at their own pace. No longer are the individuals of a classroom held to learn at the pace of the lowest common denominator. Students in a 2nd grade classroom were found reading at a 5th grade level, simply because they were able to swiftly move through what the school system thought to be appropriate. Do you want your children to have these same advantages? THINK about that. Integrated full screen video and games provide a more exiting environment than books can. Large scale data mining can get the big picture on where our school system works and fails....
The advantages here are endless.
As far as the software is concerned, it will improve as there becomes a larger market for it. In comparison, I've found that the Edutainment packages that ship with select Linux distros blow the commercial software I've seen out of the water. With regards to the other 2 problems...they revolve around people and their (mis)perceptions of technology. Computers can and will pave the way for our children's educations, but only through the education of our educators.
Out of the 5 schools I've outfitted, id say 15% of the teachers don't even use them.
Slashdot Mirror
In never fails to impress me with how excited people get over these "innovations" in portable gaming. Those familiar with the turbo express have been enjoying a complete backlit screen with 16 bit (heh....here we go) graphics in slick black package for years. The turbo express also boasted a tv tuner and the ablility to share games with the standard console, a feat so impressive you actually have to see the Hu Cards to believe.
My beloved street fighter 2 even looked better on the turbo express than it did on the genesis (64 colors on screen at once, yuk)...if only you could get used to hitting select to alternate between punches and kicks.
You can usually spot one on ebay for around 100 bucks, a few games included...
I dont recall the name, but a friend of mine actually had a book on solving the original in 15 minutes or less, and it actually seemed to have a solid strategy base behind it.
it was written by some math professor who spend a whole summer obsessing (much like the rest of america at the time) with the cube...
at any rate, i wish id read the damn book.... for some reason, since i work with computers, people expect me to be able to solve puzzles like that in real time, while concurrently explaining how to fixed their botched aol 3.0 installations....
gah
Ive been using the encryption add-on at http://www.johnytech.com for quite some time and dont have any complaints.... It works fine and integrates with all the major IM clients, although im not sure about the All-in-one offerings, ie: trillian.
This is absolutely retarded....
3D Mark 2003 is not to be trusted, not because of some pro-Nvidia stance i have, but more so because, as its been said 100 times already, 3D Marks can often have relatively small insight as to how hardware will actually work with games. Everyone posting about how they're never going to buy another Nvidia card is just being foolish, as ATI and Nvidia will most likely both provide consistant, cutting edge hardware at a reasonable price.
It should also be taken into consideration the ammount of pressure put on these two companies, since (I still have trouble believing this) major OEM's actually use 3dmark as a factor when purchasing hardware. If i've lost respect for anyone in this whole ordeal, its Dell.
I use 3d studio max, and i play warcraft 3. On occasion, ill pop in a FPS, and I look forward to Doom ]|[. Call me silly, but performance with those applications are what govern what hardware ill be buying next, not a synthetic benchmark. ESPECIALLY one that doesnt have the source readily available...
I wouldnt mind seeing an open source GL benchmark, written by individuals that have nothing to lose or gain by a cards performance. (please, drop a link if one exists)
I rarely buy a PC game. I typically download it, play it for a day or 2, and dismiss it.... ;)
Warcraft 3 is a different story. I found myself playing the downloaded copy for weeks. So many nights where the hours grew long and my eyelids grew heavy....
So i bought it. It stunned me that a game could hold such quality and replay value.
What i didnt expect, however, was to find that playing on bnet would introduce a whole new world of competition, and a unique modding community (The custom games are outstanding).
If you saw me right now, you would see that i didnt have time to take a shower this morning. Thats because until 3 am, i was playing on bnet, and sleep seemed suddenly less important than owning in footman tourny. And i cant stop. Blizzard has created one of the best games of all time, and ill be waiting in line for FT
By the way, if you havent bought it already, id really recommend the Deluxe Set, i got mine for 60 bucks (10 more than the standard), and i got the soundtrack on CD, a DVD disk with all the cinematics, a book filled with story and concept art, and some beatifull prints.
angry_cow (US East)
lol no kidding
i just gave up after awhile....
ROCKS!
*does the happy dance*
While its true that most "gamers" wouldnt be overly excited about the gaming power of the box, you have to admit its a hell of a toy...
Coupled with the fact that the (presumably) target audience is more of a passive gamer (I still know alot of people happy with an N64 in their living room) looking for a decent console with a large gamebase as well as a multimedia solution, i think they have a winner...
died? :)
mine is still very much alive and kicking....
You just havent lived until you've played virtua tennis on hard, while drunk
I disagree, in that while Doom ]|[ is an unfinished engine, its "close" to being finished, the majority of work remaining is level design, etc. The problem here is that we've signed ourselves over to benchmarks as the defining mark (pun!) of a video cards performance. Its ridiculous.
The whole point i was trying to make is that Doom ]|[ paints one picture, while 3dmark paints another. Both are DX9 applications. Which one are you going to trust when it comes to your gaming performance?
Doubly so when it comes to this beta membership situation. I mean, seriously, if NVIDIA had stayed with the program, and ATI bailed, what would have happened....
I think i made a mistake in mentioning toms hardware. Its a website i read, and personally trust.
Hardocp also had a review of the 5900 running doom ]|[, and if you dont trust them im sure there are a dozen more hardware sites out there. (Note: the hardocp team had troubles with the current set of ATI drivers, from what i understand this is/has been/being worked on)
Hey, i want to know the truth just as much as the next guy, but seriously.... does this seem odd that when Nvidia opts out of this hundred-thousand-dollar beta program, this happens? :)
Ive read 5-6 reviews of the FX 5900 and everyone seems to think its great, and rightly gives Nvidia the 3d crown. (Especially concerning Doom ]|[
If you read the interview, its even brought up that the 5900 seems to do just fine in all other benchmarks, only futuremark seems to give it a hard time, and im not buying that crap about Doom 3 benchmarks not being readily available.
If i remember, Toms had a good review of that....
But seriously.... With movies as epic and entertaining as the Matrix trilogy, LoTR... etc, watching a cam or TS is just not an option. (At least the first time around).
The experience of watching a movie on the big screen just can't be compared to a digital cam mounted in a movie theatre. (And watching my drunken friend fall on some girl in the middle of the movie adds a special something. heh.)
Id also like to point out that, in this case, the movie has pulled in well over 300 MILLION dollars. The second 2 movies were reportedly made for 300 Million. That means that Revolutions is paid for. Any money from that movie, unless im missing something, would be considered profit.
If it has anywhere near the success of Reloaded.... Warner Bros will not be hurting.
You just have to realize, there is no good TS
*lowers to one knee* and i thought *I* was a geek :)
I share the same opinions as most of the /. crowd, in that if i feel a product is worth it, i will buy it. I've been screaming for years about how if the RIAA wants me to buy more CD's, they need to offer more for what is already an obviously bloated pricing situation, or offer me a cheaper medium that i can access directly from home. Generally, when it comes to music,
1) Download a few tracks from kazaa at home.
2) Spend a few days listening to it.
3) Go purchase the album / Download the remaining tracks, or disregard the music as something not in my taste.
I currently have about 10 albums sitting in the corner of my bedroom that have not even been opened, with the music residing on my PC.
I also have no problems downloading albums that i have purchased (sometimes, 3-4 times) even though i dont currently posses a copy of the CD... due to theft, scratched cd's, whatever. The RIAA would have you believe that i am a thief in doing so. I believe the RIAA can lick my scrotum.
At any rate, I think MS's plan would end up being worthless. As i've stated before, i feel that if i pay for something, i *own* the rights to posses it, no matter what. I once made the mistake of encoding one of my albums in WMA. The CD melted in my car... and since this was a couple of formats ago (yes, i run windows :p) I've found the files to be useless, because windows feels i dont "own" those wma files. The absolute LAST THING I WANT is for MS to be in control of what it feels i "own" and dont own.
This is EXACTLY the kind of thing i was looking for.... The company i work for outfits schools with computers (1 per student), with assorted laptop distribution, and the current 199$ "Walmart PC" is actually a pretty solid option. 1.1 Ghz Duron, 128 meg ram, 10 gig HD, NIC, etc.... Even the linux skeptics have trouble arguing the price. 450 for an 800mhz laptop, here i come.
http://www.googlefight.com/cgi-bin/compare.pl?q1=A TI&q2=Nvidia&B1=Make+a+fight%21&compare=1&langue=u s
I build networks for charter schools, most of which use Switched on Schoolhouse as curriculum. The general idea is a good one, but its fallen apart due to
a) The teachers fearing that these computers would someday replace them,
b) general flaws in the software itself (it tries to make learning exiting, but it often just ends up with the student reading 6 pages of material before falling asleep), or
c) Inadequate support for the machines themselves, as against my professional recommendation, the school didn't seem to believe that a system administrator was worth working into the year's budget
On the lighter side of things, students are allowed to advance at their own pace. No longer are the individuals of a classroom held to learn at the pace of the lowest common denominator. Students in a 2nd grade classroom were found reading at a 5th grade level, simply because they were able to swiftly move through what the school system thought to be appropriate. Do you want your children to have these same advantages? THINK about that. Integrated full screen video and games provide a more exiting environment than books can. Large scale data mining can get the big picture on where our school system works and fails....
The advantages here are endless.
As far as the software is concerned, it will improve as there becomes a larger market for it. In comparison, I've found that the Edutainment packages that ship with select Linux distros blow the commercial software I've seen out of the water. With regards to the other 2 problems...they revolve around people and their (mis)perceptions of technology. Computers can and will pave the way for our children's educations, but only through the education of our educators.
Out of the 5 schools I've outfitted, id say 15% of the teachers don't even use them.
Speed? Stability? Hell, id settle for being able to delete my old 3DS animations after im done with them : )