"Maybe if you want to keep your job you should keep your mouth shut and not criticize your employeer. There are plenty of people who can fight the fight for you"
When the Nazis came for the communists, I remained silent; I was not a communist.
When they locked up the social democrats, I remained silent; I was not a social democrat.
When they came for the trade unionists, I did not speak out; I was not a trade unionist.
When they came for the Jews, I did not speak out; I was not a Jew.
When they came for me, there was no one left to speak out.
"TFA doesn't mention anything about if you can watch on a regular TV. Does it still have to be watched only on an ipod."
Considering the current iPods already allow you to watch videos on a large screen (with an optional A/V cable), I can't imagine that any new iTunes movie rental service won't let you do the same.
"Noone ever wants to BE Mario, they don't think he's "cool", but they find him funny and entertaining in a why that doesn't rely on patting themselves on the back for going along with the latest fad. He's sorta like Charlie Chaplan, except less jewish..."
Or Mickey Mouse, but less plague-infested.;-)
On an anecdotal note, my son has recently gotten started with a Nintendo DS Lite, and in the space of a month, his big games are New Super Mario Bros., Super Mario 64, and Mario Kart DS. I wonder if he even realizes that there are video games with characters that aren't named Mario, Luigi, or Yoshi...
(Okay, and Nintendogs, but he was so thrilled when he found the Mario cap in that.)
Would the DHS take the risk of these codes being communication between hostile agents and possibly ending up with another PR desaster of "why didn't you see that major terrorist attack coming?"?
Yeah, especially since we know the Bush Administration would never ignore a clear warning of an imminent terrorist strike, such as a Presidential Daily Brief entitlted "bin Ladin Determined to Strike in US."
Since all the clear warnings are already taken care of, let's go after the vague ones!
All that proves is that some Republicans haven't gone totally batshit insane yet. You've also got Republicans like Joe Barton, who tried to intimidate these scientists last year, or George W. Bush, who's still saying we don't need to pay any attention to this.
Meanwhile, Al Gore is out there going "I told you so."
"So what you are saying then is that if Sony and Microsoft copied the controller, you would seriously consider their consoles?" Sure, if the game selection and price and usability is there.
"Sony is going to have a motion sensing controller." Yeah, but it's (a) loaded with newbie-intimidating buttons and analog sticks, and (b) isn't as versatile as the Wiimote. You can't use Sony's PS3 controller to point at items on the screen or wave it like a sword/wand/baton/bat, for instance.
"Ah, but I bet you would buy the Wii even without the controller, because it still would be the only console that non gamers would play."
Nope. Couldn't get anyone else hooked on the N64 or Gamecube for the same reason. In my experience, non-gamers start getting overwhelmed once you go beyond a joypad and two buttons -- additional triggers and buttons, analog sticks, or (heaven forbid) combos send them running for the hills.
The beauty of the Wii controller is that not only is it easier for folks to get into, many games also feature movements that they already know. Any kid over the age of three has swung a stick and can play Wii Baseball, and any adult can grasp the fundamentals of swinging a (virtual) tennis racket inside of 10 seconds. The Wii's advantage over other controllers is that many folks already know how to play it even before they play it.
The controller IS a selling point
on
Wii-mote In Action
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· Score: 3, Interesting
"I can't see a controller 'selling' a console."
Funny, I'm planning to buy a Wii primarily for the controller -- because it will be the only game controller on the market that my non-gaming family and friends can grok easily.
The choices are as follows:
1. Buy an XBox or a PS2/PS3, and have it played by myself and my son.
2. Buy a Wii, and have it played by myself, my son, my wife, my parents, my in-laws, friends, visitors...
Call me crazy, but I think making gaming more accessible to everyone is a good thing -- and having a family that games together is doubleplusgood for this geek. If it takes a radical new controller to do the job, then so be it.
"But is it [the Nintendo Wii] something the majority of households want to play?"
If the Wii is non-gamer-friendly enough to attract folks to buy one and play it even occasionally -- versus the current consoles, which are too intimidating for non-gamers to play at all -- then the answer is "yes." I can easily see a non-gamer like Oprah Winfrey playing with a Wii on television and having fun; I can't imagine her doing the same thing with a PS3 or Xbox 360.
And my unofficial non-scientific analysis is that Nintendo is going to surprise the skeptics once Wiis start flying off the shelves.
The problem is that DVD was a clearly superior alternative over VHS, whereas Blu-Ray is neither clearly superior (YMMV), and may still get trumped by DVD-HD or whatever the other next generation video disc format is.
I suspect a lot of folks are going to wait until a clear winner is established in the next-gen video disc war; until then, telling them to pay extra to get a Blu-ray player in their game system is like telling them to drop an extra $200 and hope they made the right choice after the dust settles. No thanks, Sony.
"Johnson, you're not innovating enough! You gotta get your innovation up another 8% by the end of the month, or I'm kicking you back down to playtesting!"
Why is Nintendo the only sane console company this year?
According to Wikipedia, Mr. Iwata is a former programmer, game developer, and graphic artist -- in short, someone who most likely actually plays games instead of merely selling them.
Seems like he'd be in a good position to know what gamers really want. "If I were playing this, would I want to cough up $15/month for this? Hell no!"
I showed a few people various PS3 demos and then said "but the PS3 is going to be $600". The response? "Well, that's not too bad really. Look at that!"
...then you show them the XBox 360, say that it's only $400 or so, and they say "Gee, I'll get one of those instead! It looks just as good, and is cheaper than the PS3!"
I was all set to buy a PS3 last Monday -- I've still got a stack of PS1 discs ready to play, and I wanted a next-generation system that would work nice with my 50" widescreen TV.
After hearing about the $499 price tag, I walked away.
After hearing that the $499 base unit lacked Wi-Fi, memory card support, and HDMI, I ran away.
At this point, it's the Wii for me. I'll have to toss those discs, but at least I can get a console that has widescreen, Wi-Fi, and 480p standard -- and it doesn't cost an arm and two legs. The fact that I can finally introduce my non-gaming relatives to gaming is a plus.
"None of them require you to get an HDTV. The 360 still looks damn good on regular TV, and I'm sure the PS3 will too."
Sure, but since Sony's justification for the PS3's price tag is the inclusion of the Blu-Ray player, hooking up a PS3 to a non-HDTV makes as much sense as paying $50 to eat a Big Mac.
Slashdot Mirror
"Maybe if you want to keep your job you should keep your mouth shut and not criticize your employeer. There are plenty of people who can fight the fight for you"
When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.
When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.
When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.
When they came for the Jews,
I did not speak out;
I was not a Jew.
When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.
--Pastor Martin Niemöller (1892-1984)
"TFA doesn't mention anything about if you can watch on a regular TV. Does it still have to be watched only on an ipod."
Considering the current iPods already allow you to watch videos on a large screen (with an optional A/V cable), I can't imagine that any new iTunes movie rental service won't let you do the same.
Uh, you might want to look at those sales of New Super Mario Bros. last month...
Yes, BBA lets you either run a "test" consisting of 30-second runs in all five categories, or a beat-your-best-score pick-your-own option.
It's not a game with a lot of hidden features, but it's great for fast and short bursts, and the price is hard to argue with.
"I cant remember the last time nintendo used mario as its image. the mascot is truly dead."
*Cough*
"Noone ever wants to BE Mario, they don't think he's "cool", but they find him funny and entertaining in a why that doesn't rely on patting themselves on the back for going along with the latest fad. He's sorta like Charlie Chaplan, except less jewish..."
;-)
Or Mickey Mouse, but less plague-infested.
On an anecdotal note, my son has recently gotten started with a Nintendo DS Lite, and in the space of a month, his big games are New Super Mario Bros., Super Mario 64, and Mario Kart DS. I wonder if he even realizes that there are video games with characters that aren't named Mario, Luigi, or Yoshi...
(Okay, and Nintendogs, but he was so thrilled when he found the Mario cap in that.)
Would the DHS take the risk of these codes being communication between hostile agents and possibly ending up with another PR desaster of "why didn't you see that major terrorist attack coming?"?
Yeah, especially since we know the Bush Administration would never ignore a clear warning of an imminent terrorist strike, such as a Presidential Daily Brief entitlted "bin Ladin Determined to Strike in US."
Since all the clear warnings are already taken care of, let's go after the vague ones!
I'd be more impressed if most of the games on your list weren't ports of arcade titles or games originating on other systems.
"The report was championed by a Republican."
All that proves is that some Republicans haven't gone totally batshit insane yet. You've also got Republicans like Joe Barton, who tried to intimidate these scientists last year, or George W. Bush, who's still saying we don't need to pay any attention to this.
Meanwhile, Al Gore is out there going "I told you so."
"So what you are saying then is that if Sony and Microsoft copied the controller, you would seriously consider their consoles?"
Sure, if the game selection and price and usability is there.
"Sony is going to have a motion sensing controller."
Yeah, but it's (a) loaded with newbie-intimidating buttons and analog sticks, and (b) isn't as versatile as the Wiimote. You can't use Sony's PS3 controller to point at items on the screen or wave it like a sword/wand/baton/bat, for instance.
"Ah, but I bet you would buy the Wii even without the controller, because it still would be the only console that non gamers would play."
Nope. Couldn't get anyone else hooked on the N64 or Gamecube for the same reason. In my experience, non-gamers start getting overwhelmed once you go beyond a joypad and two buttons -- additional triggers and buttons, analog sticks, or (heaven forbid) combos send them running for the hills.
The beauty of the Wii controller is that not only is it easier for folks to get into, many games also feature movements that they already know. Any kid over the age of three has swung a stick and can play Wii Baseball, and any adult can grasp the fundamentals of swinging a (virtual) tennis racket inside of 10 seconds. The Wii's advantage over other controllers is that many folks already know how to play it even before they play it.
"I can't see a controller 'selling' a console."
Funny, I'm planning to buy a Wii primarily for the controller -- because it will be the only game controller on the market that my non-gaming family and friends can grok easily.
The choices are as follows:
1. Buy an XBox or a PS2/PS3, and have it played by myself and my son.
2. Buy a Wii, and have it played by myself, my son, my wife, my parents, my in-laws, friends, visitors...
Call me crazy, but I think making gaming more accessible to everyone is a good thing -- and having a family that games together is doubleplusgood for this geek. If it takes a radical new controller to do the job, then so be it.
"I'm one of the ... *counts on fingers * ... 8 people in the world who bought an Atari Jaguar."
;-)
Big deal! I'm one of the three people in the world who bought a Jaguar CD! Just for Jeff Minter's VLM!
"But is it [the Nintendo Wii] something the majority of households want to play?"
If the Wii is non-gamer-friendly enough to attract folks to buy one and play it even occasionally -- versus the current consoles, which are too intimidating for non-gamers to play at all -- then the answer is "yes." I can easily see a non-gamer like Oprah Winfrey playing with a Wii on television and having fun; I can't imagine her doing the same thing with a PS3 or Xbox 360.
And my unofficial non-scientific analysis is that Nintendo is going to surprise the skeptics once Wiis start flying off the shelves.
The Wii plays GameCube discs directly. You can even plug your GC controllers into the console.
Recycled to wood pulp for the next batch of magazines, I'd wager.
"Did we need more proof of how corrupt our government is"
To be fair, I don't think Mr. McCurry is currently serving as a direct member of "our government" any more.
He may be a slimeball, but he's no longer a government slimeball -- that job's currently fulfilled by Messrs. DeLay, Santorum, Frist...
The problem is that (I'm guessing here) you played Wii Tennis by yourself.
I imagine it would be a blast with friends -- and the Wiimote will make it much easier to talk your (non-gaming) friends into joining in.
The problem is that DVD was a clearly superior alternative over VHS, whereas Blu-Ray is neither clearly superior (YMMV), and may still get trumped by DVD-HD or whatever the other next generation video disc format is.
I suspect a lot of folks are going to wait until a clear winner is established in the next-gen video disc war; until then, telling them to pay extra to get a Blu-ray player in their game system is like telling them to drop an extra $200 and hope they made the right choice after the dust settles. No thanks, Sony.
What will they think of next!
"Johnson, you're not innovating enough! You gotta get your innovation up another 8% by the end of the month, or I'm kicking you back down to playtesting!"
Why is Nintendo the only sane console company this year?
According to Wikipedia, Mr. Iwata is a former programmer, game developer, and graphic artist -- in short, someone who most likely actually plays games instead of merely selling them.
Seems like he'd be in a good position to know what gamers really want. "If I were playing this, would I want to cough up $15/month for this? Hell no!"
More power to the gamer geeks!
I showed a few people various PS3 demos and then said "but the PS3 is going to be $600". The response? "Well, that's not too bad really. Look at that!"
...then you show them the XBox 360, say that it's only $400 or so, and they say "Gee, I'll get one of those instead! It looks just as good, and is cheaper than the PS3!"
There's an analog stick on the nunchuck attachment. Nunchuk in left hand + remote (with buttons) in the right hand = regular gaming controller.
I was all set to buy a PS3 last Monday -- I've still got a stack of PS1 discs ready to play, and I wanted a next-generation system that would work nice with my 50" widescreen TV.
After hearing about the $499 price tag, I walked away.
After hearing that the $499 base unit lacked Wi-Fi, memory card support, and HDMI, I ran away.
At this point, it's the Wii for me. I'll have to toss those discs, but at least I can get a console that has widescreen, Wi-Fi, and 480p standard -- and it doesn't cost an arm and two legs. The fact that I can finally introduce my non-gaming relatives to gaming is a plus.
"None of them require you to get an HDTV. The 360 still looks damn good on regular TV, and I'm sure the PS3 will too."
Sure, but since Sony's justification for the PS3's price tag is the inclusion of the Blu-Ray player, hooking up a PS3 to a non-HDTV makes as much sense as paying $50 to eat a Big Mac.